Broken Dragon
by Hentasma-Chan
Summary: Out casting himself from both of the families he ever knew, Corrin finds himself in a fit of turmoil. In route to figure out a plan of attack with Gunter, a mysterious army mounts an offensive on the fort, taking the lives of those who remained at his side. Now, without anyone at his side, Corrin seeks battlefield after battlefield, finding his path to unite the land -On Break-
1. Chapter 1

Broken Dragon

A Fire Emblem Fates (Revelations) Story

By: Hentasma-Chan

Prologue: The End of the Beginning

"I have to unite Hoshido and Nohr, I have absolutely no room for error…" Corrin sighed in discontent, sitting on the edge of his bed within his quarters. As a result of having to make an impossible choice, Corrin refused to opt to either side of the war effort. The image of both of his brothers pointing a sword to his throat etched itself into his ever growing weary mind as he thought about their next course of action. One week as passed since that incident and Corrin found he was in such deep thought that even the slightest touch on his shoulder from his loyal maid, Felicia, caused him to flinch in a fright. A cold sweat hit him as he turned, only to be relieved by the sight of a warm cup of tea on a crudely glued plate.

"Oh! Thanks Felicia, you startled me there," Corrin nervously chuckled, accepting the tea from the clumsy damsel. Felicia had a concerned frown on her face she remained next to him, watching over him as she had done for some time in the past. With a slight sip of the tea, Corrin found his face twitch from mild disgust, which was fairly normal for Felicia's tea. Contrary to the rough taste, he had grown accustomed to it as if it were customary of their family. Corrin's gaze turned up to Felicia's as he laid his cup back on its plate.

"Is there something that you need Felicia?" Corrin's thoughtful voice always seemed to have a calming effect on Felicia, allowing her nerves to subside a little bit.

"O-Oh no! It's nothing like that. I'm just very worried about, just as the others are," Felicia said with gentle shiver. Corrin quickly drank the rest of the tea, making a mild face of displeasure before handing it all back to her, smiling gratefully up at Felicia.

"Thank you for the tea Felicia. Rest assured that I will pull through this; I don't have much of a choice in the matter to begin with. As for what is to happen next, I'm going to need to consult with Gunter since he's way more qualified for battle tactics than I am," Corrin said, rising from his bedside with a good, long stretch. Felicia couldn't help but smile whenever Corrin showed his charisma, another calming reassurance that she held close to her heart. Upon them both leaving through his quarters doors, a gentle song could be heard none too far of from their position. Felicia decided it was a good idea to bow out, leaving Corrin alone to talk to the other key player in his struggle, Azura. As if on cue, Azura smiled during her song as Corrin came into view.

Azura never ceased to amaze Corrin with her angelic voice; each time he heard her vocational brilliance, his heart would flutter just a little more than the last time. As Azura finished her dance and held her final phrase as a note, she kept her eyes on Corrin's until all sound had left her throat. Corrin shot Azura and clapped; it was yet again another perfect performance.

"As elegant and beautiful as always, I swear I could listen to you sing all day," Corrin said causing Azura to smile faintly. Azura was never one to get embarrassed, even if a striking question would be presented to her. Her gaze then shifted from Corrin and out towards the entrance to his castle walls, her eyes and mouth growing very grim as she turned.

"I appreciate your kind words, Lord Corrin, but it isn't any more special than words from either a child or a militant. It is a joy that I am blessed to be able to partake in and if it gives happiness to those who listen, the better my song will feel to myself," Azura's gentle and elegant pattern of speech always charmed Corrin, just as her songs did. He couldn't truly explain it, but Corrin felt himself sharing a deeper bond with Azura, even though he had only known her for such a short time.

"I believed Lord Gunter was on a search for you no more than minutes ago, I suggest that you find him with haste; his face was that of one in a grand emergency. I would've directed him to you, but I didn't know where you would've been at the time," Azura said softly, pointing in the direction in which she saw him last.

"I guess he needs to discuss battle plans, alright, thank you Azura!" Corrin left her with these words as he ran off to find his concerned teacher of war. Knowing Gunter pretty well, Corrin immediately made his way to the front courtyard, where he often stood on guard. Sure enough, after five minutes of rushing along, Gunter was standing next to his steed, nervously tapping his foot upon the ground with his hand clenched to his spear. Gunter heard the sound of shuffling feet, immediately turning around to see Corrin sliding along the ground to his position.

"Ah there you are Lord Corrin. I have urgent news from Lilith that she wishes to bestow on us all. As safe as she knew this place to be, it seems that mysterious forces have been gathering around the camp, waiting to break through our walls at any moment. She's using all of her power to keep them at bay with a barrier, but it seems that she is going to be depleted of her power within the hour. I've done my best to keep my calm, however, the odds against us are far too dire for me to be at ease for even a second longer," Gunter said with an urgent, fierce face that was usually only seen during battle. Corrin immediately went into a mild panic, clenching his teeth angrily in response.

"Gods! It seems that this time of war isn't going to rest until they have accomplished my demise. We need to quickly inform Azura and Felicia this instant!" Corrin growled, immediately taking off like the wind. Gunter closed his eyes and shook his head, now carefully mounting his armored companion to prepare for battle.

"I fear there are far too few of us to handle this barrage…if only we had more time…" Gunter growled, giving his mount a little jolt to its side to head into a firm defensive position. Corrin was quickly able to gather up Azura since she was still in the stead of where he had met her earlier, while Felicia sure enough answered to their cries out for her. Hunting down Gunter's post, the three of them quickly converged on him with weapons in hand. Lilith began to flutter about, meeting up with the four of them to unite every member of the fortress that they had.

"I'm terrible sorry Lord Corrin, but I no longer have the strength to maintain the barrier. I feel that I have failed you in the highest degree…I brought you here so you would have a safe haven in which to rest but instead I might've just forfeited your life…please forgive me!" Lilith was sobbing as she flew up into Corrin's chest, shaking and trembling in fear as loud battle cries could be heard from outside the walls.

"Lilith, you have done all that you could have, and I am incredibly thankful for that. But I don't plan to die on a night such as this. Everyone! Prepare for battle! Know that your lives depend on thwarting this invasion!" Corrin shouted, causing them all to form a tight box formation while Lilith returned to her shrine. Both Felicia and Azura hung at least 10 feet back while Gunter and Corrin raised their weapons to arms. An eerie silence overtook the fort, as if they had all left them be for the evening. Corrin found himself wiping his nervous sweat from his brow repeatedly as he kept his Yato clenched in his hand. Then, in a sudden outburst, the doors were blown open, revealing easily 30 infiltrating units breaching their parameter. The enemy forces were very strange; they were very translucent, as if they were a mirage. They had a mysterious magenta hue to them, making them glow within the light of the moon. They wasted no time in tearing the fort apart, destroying all of the structures that Lilith had helped them erect to make their endeavor much easier.

"MAY THE LIVES O FALL THOSE WHO DARE INVADE OUR FORT TO BE FOFEIGHT BY MY HAND!" Gunter let out a powerful battle cry, reaching his arm out for Felicia to pair up with him on the front lines. Felicia put on a face of determination as she was literally lifted off the ground and seated behind him. His trusting stallion reared onto his hind legs, shouting out a cry of confidence before tearing off into the main enemy forces. Corrin and Azura stuck close to one another like glue as they made a dash for a smaller battalion of troops that broke down the west entrance. Confronting a platoon of five, Corrin swung his sword before him, glaring them down with grand ferocity.

"I WILL CUT YOU DOWN!" Corrin roared as the forces charged him. The opening two infiltrators were a sword and axe infantry, who both took wild swings at Corrin on encroach. Corrin managed to slide past the first swing of the swordsman, cutting him down in response with Yato while Azura stepped in to knock the axmen's swing away. As if choreographed, they exchanged places, allowinng Azura to slash and finish the swordsman while Corrin took off the head of the phantom axmen with one clean swing. Two wyvern units dove in to take a swing at Azura, only to be parried aside by Corrin's blade. Corrin made a large leap to cut down one of the wyvern as Azura prepared her song. Upon landing, Corrin felt his bodies lighten as he was surrounded by a blue aura, allowing him to leap up and strike the other down as well. Upon the enemy's deaths, the units simply vanished into thin air, as if they were nothing more than a hazy illusion.

Meanwhile on the distant end, Gunter and Felicia were finding the mass amount of enemy units to be more than just a handful. With powerful swings of Gunter's spear he was able to befall three at once, only allowing for him to defend immediately after. Felicia threw dagger after dagger into enemies as Gunter rode by, making them easy targets for Gunter to pick off and finish. All would be fine had there been nothing but normal weapon soldiers, but to their dismay there were several mages as well, desperately casting spells before Gunter to take down his mount. He had to yank on his mounts reigns with all of his might to avoid there power expulsions of magic, narrowly escaping each of them by the hair of his horses tail.

"Felicia, this may grow to be too much for me to handle…go and assist Lord Corrin! He is to be protected at all costs!" Gunter growled loudly, immediately taking off towards Corrin's position. Once he had grown close enough, he made a quick turn back towards the enemy forces, allowing Felicia to hop off onto the ground with minimal difficulty. Corrin held up Yato to block a downward strike from an axman, which now was putting its full strength to try and knock Corrin to the ground. Felicia immediately threw several daggers into where its neck was supposed to be, causing it to fall to its knees. Azura quickly spun in a circle, using the momentum to slash into the axmen, causing him to vanish.

"Lord Corrin! We have to help Lord Gunter! He's way out numbered and I fear he wishes to make this battle his grave!" Felicia cried, catching Azura's and Corrin's attention without fail. They all ran towards the massive horde of units that had now completely surrounded Gunter, leaving him to only defend to save his life. Gunter loud out a ghastly groan as the blade from an ax cut into his side, causing him to nearly lose his balance.

"DAMN DEMONS!" Gunter yelled, angrily stabbing through the axmen with his spear, immediately ripping it out and stabbing another enemy in its momentum. Despite Gunter's forceful thrusts, a mage managed to slip by his attention, blowing up the ground beneath his horse. His mount shrieked in agony before throwing Gunter off by force. Gunter tried to catch himself using his spear, but instead used it to steady his fall into the dirt with a thud. Using his spear as a crutch, he rose to his feet, already surrounded by the enemy. He clenched his side with a painful growl, his arms shaking with all their might to hold onto his shield and spear. Corrin and the rest watched in horror as strike after strike broke his guard, their blades cutting into him with each of his own attempts to retaliate.

"Felicia! You have to run and heal his wounds!" Corrin ordered, causing Felicia to dash to the outside of the surrounding ring. She immediately removed a rod from her side waving it towards Gunter's position as she summoned her energy. Felicia smiled at Gunter as he rose back to his feet from the healing support, but lost her attention span around her. An archer ran around the ring to her flank, immediately launching an arrow that dug right into her side. Felicia screamed out with pain she gripped onto her side, trying to wobble away. Corrin's eyes widened with a fiery rage building within them as he attempted to make it to Felicia's aid.

Azura followed Corrin closely, ready to sing to give Felicia the energy she needed to escape. Felicia's eyes grew dim and pained as she removed the arrow from her side, crying out for help. Corrin immediately covered her flank in an attempt to pulling her to her feet and move her on. Felicia caught sight of 4 archers lining up behind him, all of them aimed to kill as they were released. Felicia used what strength she had to shove Corrin off to the side, screaming as she took arrows to her stomach and chest. Corrin's eyes forced tears from their edges as he watched Felicia coughing and crying out for him, telling him to escape. His attention then turned towards Gunter's position, in which rang with a deathly growl, followed but a loud crash of heavy armor hitting the ground.

Corrin glared at every enemy before him, yelling fiercely as she he shifted his form into that of the dragon. He immediately began tearing into all of the enemies, wondering why he hadn't done better to protect those closest to his heart. He knew that turning into a dragon was dangerous around his allies, but with both Gunter and Felicia bleeding to death on the ground, there was nothing to hold him back from his terrifying rage. Azura bit her bottom lip as she assisted Corrin, trying to keep out his proximity as he ran wild with his ferocious emotions. Only roaring out in pain from a few blows, he tore the rest of the illusions in his sights limb from limb until all had vanished.

A sudden scream could be heard behind him, causing him to immediately throw his body around. Azura stood before him with a spear that had been stabbed through her stomach, her bodily toppling towards him as she hugged onto him for balance. He looked to an illusion with Azura's spear piercing its chest, causing it to disperse after claiming its victim. She reached down, barely able to tear it from her body before hugging onto Corrin for dear life.

"You…aren't…badly hurt…are you…?" Azura coughed, splotches of blood hitting his body like spitting rain. She stood back and fell to a knee, still coughing and gasping violently as Corrin shifted back to his normal form, now shivering in complete despair.

"AZURA! No! Please! You can't die! NOT LIKE THIS!" Corrin screamed as he held her to him, trying to warm her as he covered her wound with her own clothes. Corrin had already begrudgingly accepted the loss of both Felicia and Gunter, but he refused to believe that Azura would join them in death. Tears began to drown his face, each one dripping upon Azura's weakly smiling face as she looked up at him.

"It…was going…for your….stomach…I couldn't…I couldn't…let it…harm you…" Azura was cut off by a coughing fit, another splash of blood hitting Corrin's chest. Corrin began to cry out uncontrollably, as he held her close, brushing her hair.

"No…please…don't go…I don't want to be alone…my war has only just started…I can't let it end like this…!" Corrin sobbed, holding Azura up to his face so she could see him clearly through her quickly fading eyes.

"Do not accept this despair…although our time was incredibly brief…it was full of many fond memories that I am blessed to take with me…You share those memories with me…so hold them close…to your heart…" Azura's once beautiful and powerful voice had quickly grown weak and feeble as she desperately clung to life.

"What…do I do now…? I know that I must fight on…but…I can't do this alone! Azura, please, stay with me!" Corrin cried out once more, trying to keep her steady as she shiver and shook. She forced a smile on her wincing face, slowly reaching her arms around his neck to embrace him the best she could. She moved her lips up to his ear, humming gently.

"Fight on…and never look back…" Azura whispered before her body grew limp in Corrin's arms. Corrin held onto Azura's now lifeless body for dear life, growling and crying out of pure frustration as he started to rock her body back and fourth.

"I swear to you…I will fix this God forsaken war and I will never, EVER allow anyone to ever die for me again…I will die before I let that happen!" Corrin cried out, rain beginning to drip from the sky as his tears drained from his eyes. He stared blankly at the aftermath as he continued to gently rock Azura's body within his grasp, stroking her hair as if trying to slowly put her to rest. Branded both a traitor by all of the family he ever knew and losing all those who remained by his side, Corrin was at a complete loss of what was to come next. He knew that he couldn't mount attacks by himself, nor did he want to get anyone else involved. This paradoxical thinking began to swirl around in his head like a storm, trying to make sense of the madness that has become his very existence.

End Prologue; To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Dragon of Mercy

"So, what made you want to be a mercenary?" the words of a now fellow mercenary made their way into Corrin's ears. After the tragedy at the fort, Corrin has decided that he should submit his services to armies instead of commanding his own. The painful loss that weighs heavily on his heart makes for an unpleasant display of composure. Equipping a cloak, he uses its ability to conceal his form and face. Being that this was his first battle with such credentials, it was crucial that he kept his identity a secret. Keeping his eyes hidden, he vaguely turns his head towards the inquiring mercenary.

"It is the only path that lies before me. I can either fight on a side or do nothing, and I refuse to standby and watch as this world burns to the ground," Corrin's smirk grew visible as the mercenary was stunned from the response. A typical mercenary would go off on the usual "I kill for money" speech, but this mercenary was quite different from the rest. Several of the other mercenaries were partaking in small banter with a laugh here and there as they approached. One little comment from one of his closer comrades caught his attention in an instant as he listened in.

"I heard if we serve the Nohrian forces well in this battle we could be scouted for their army; that means stay sharp everyone. Who knows, if we do well enough, we could become official soldiers of the Nohrian army! How incredibly would that be?" the mercenary band leader shouted to rally his small army of 20 members. Corrin didn't see the need in joining a larger group or small army, all he needed was somewhere to call his home between battlefields, even if that meant saying goodbye once or twice. Today's battle was going to be a Nohrian castle defense against invading Hoshidan forces. As tight as they have kept their borders, Nohr had discovered that they had quite a few blind spots in its defensive parameters. Corrin suddenly grew pale when he recalled where exactly they were headed.

"Did they say who the lead commander from Nohr was going to be?" Corrin asked the mercenary leader, removing Yato from his side to have at the ready. He ran his covered hand over it, as if giving it a small, lovely polishing before drenching it with the enemies blood. The leader turned to him, eyeing him carefully as if he were a spy.

"All we know is that it's a Nohrian princess, we don't know which one," he replied, returning his attention to his front to keep watch for their let off point. From where he sat upon his mount he could already see massive amounts of movement in the distance, signaling that they had just essentially arrived. He steadily drew his sword from his sheath and pointed it forward.

"There's no mistaking it…if it's a castle defense, it must be Camilla. I better be careful…fortunately Baruka and Selena don't know my face quite as well. That means I have to make sure we extinguish the enemy quickly so Camilla doesn't have to step in. I'm actually happy to be able to see them again though," Corrin faintly smiled, his eyes analyzing his precious Yato. It was his only keepsake from anything that he could even consider a life. Being that it and a dragonstone were his only possession, traveling as a mercenary was made very convenient.

Upon meeting the entry point, the Hoshidan army was already on the offensive, clashing blades left and right with the Nohrian guard forces. From the looks of it the fight was fairly even, but the Hoshidan forces were beginning to mount up more troops to push forward. The determination and spirit of every single Nohr solider was in full flare, all of them laying down their lives to defend their precious stronghold. War was never a beautiful thing, but it did bring out beautiful emotions. Corrin looked around at his comrades who were now testing their gear; quickly polishing their blades, tightening up the fastens on their armor and taking heavy breaths to ready themselves for the full blown explosion of combat that was about to ignite. The leader turn to his troops with a valiant smile as he pointed towards the battlefield with his spear.

"ALRIGHT LADIES, SHOW EM HOW WE SMALL TIME MERCENARIES DO THINGS! LET'S GIVE EM HELL!" the mercenary leader roared, giving the signal for everyone to charge the field. Corrin's eyes quickly darted around, looking for the key allies to guard and the key enemies to vanquish. A loud roaring sound came from above as Baruka took a dive at a group of enemies, easily tearing into three or four of them with ease. Off in the distance, Selena could be seen in perfect form, tactically taking down one soldier after the next with her elite swordplay. As his sights flew around the battlefield, he noticed a small battalion of archers all lining up and taking aim at Beruka above their head.

"BARUKA WATCH OUT!" Selena screamed in concern, trying to overpower the deafening sounds of clashing blades. Baruka's eyes widen as her attention turned to the volley of archers. They all pulled back, ready to unleash hell upon her as Corrin quickly planned his attack. Immediately, Corrin let out a battle cry as he charged the line, taking a life of an archer with each individual swing. It was just like chopping through jungle vines with a machete. Baruka stared in surprise at the cloaked warrior that just saved her life, catching sight of a few more sets of archers ready to go. She pointed them out with her ax, giving Corrin a lead to assist her further.

"I don't think so!" Corrin yelled as he dashed, lunging forward with a vicious slash that toppled the first archer into the next. Their aim was thrown off as they toppled like dominos, Corrin continuing to move to keep each of them down for good. Corrin sight returned to Beruka, who was now giving him a wave of appreciation before moving on. Corrin grit his teeth, turning his vision over to Selena, who was now barely holding her own against a group of 10 men.

"Geh! These idiots just keep coming!" Selena shouted, parrying then stabbing another foe in his stomach. Having the dense idea of attacking her one man at a time was proving fatal for them, which quickly made them implement a new formation of attack. Selena growled as she had two soldiers at each of her flanks and 3 charging her front with a barrage of spears. Baruka quickly swooped in, cutting down the spearman, allowing Selena to gracefully avoid the others with a back hop. Suddenly, a Pegasus knight swooped in from the sky, her blood red hair and white/red attire easily giving away her rank and identity. Hinoka grinned at Selena as she circled around, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Slashing down another foe, Selena was forced to keep her eyes on Hinoka as she desperately dealt with her disadvantage of numbers.

"Hah! Let's see how long you can keep that up Nohrian trash!" Hinoka giggled, continuing to circle around like a buzzard as her Hoshidan comrades slowly began pushing her into a corner.

"Gods…forget just a castle defense; with Hinoka on the field, this has just turned into a full blown warzone," Corrin groaned as he ran towards Selena. Baruka immediately charged Hinoka, clashing her ax against Hinoka's spear in a desperate attempt to push her off of Selena.

"You'll have to try harder than that to get the jump on me you Nohrian scum!" Hinoka smiled fiercely as she maneuvered in a circle around Baruka, using the length of her spear to hook and disarm her ax from her hands. Baruka growled like a beast as she stared Hinoka's cocky smile. She then immediately went to escape, trying to find where her precious ax had gone. Corrin noticed the ax as he plummeted to the ground with a loud thud when it hit the ground, following its line of trajectory to a poor Baruka being held up at spear point.

"WYVERN KNIGHT! DOWN HERE!" Corrin yelled out ambiguously, catching Baruka's attention with his sword waving about. As Hinoka took a stab at her head, Baruka immediately dropped altitude to head towards the helpful stranger. Corrin immediately lugged it up off the ground, holding it handle side up so she could grab it with ease. A grin spread on Baruka's face as she snatched the ax from his hands, sporting another wave of appreciation as she approached Hinoka once more. Hinoka redirected her line of sight to the ground, where a very dazed looking archer had already set her sights on Baruka as well.

"SETSUNA, NOW!" Hinoka shouted, immediately darting away from Baruka. Baruka growled and proceeded to chase down Hinoka, unaware that she was falling for a set up. Corrin's eyes couldn't believe how many times Baruka's life had been at risk in a matter of moments. Had not been here, she would surely be dead right now. It was moments like this that reminded him why he struggled so immensely for the peace that he longed so desperately for.

Corrin dashed at Setsuna, who immediately turned and fired a straight shot right at Corrin without hesitation. Corrin strafed to the side, cutting her masterfully aimed arrow in half. He was ready to disable Setsuna from the battle field when all of a sudden, a bright aura of magic surrounded Corrin, causing him to have slight panic as he quickly moved away.

"He's certainly a slippery one isn't he…" Azama scowled, immediately healing Setsuna who had sustained injury early in the battle. Corrin went to sigh, but immediately looked up to see Baruka viciously chopping Hinoka's Pegasus, causing it to drop from beneath her. Hinoka began to scream as she plummeted to the ground, it was if death a grasp on her.

Unable to watch his own sister plummet to her death, he quickly sheathed Yato, holding his hood down as he ran towards her fall point. Without fail, Corrin slid along the ground using his momentum, barely catching her within his arms safely and forcing him to fall to one knee. Hinoka stared at Corrin as he kept his head down, keeping the façade up as he put her down.

"Leave the battlefield." Corrin said firmly before turning away and charging back into the battle. Hinoka felt strange; she had seen how he was an enemy, he was assisting in her take down, but…for some reason he caught her without hesitation, as if she were his comrade as well. Azama and Setsuna quickly came to her side, inspecting her to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"That was quite the fall Lady Hinoka, you're lucky that our enemy took mercy on you," Azama said with a sigh, running over to her poor, crying Pegasus to heal it. Setsuna couldn't help but to notice Hinoka's eyes as she turned them back the stranger, who was now running to Selena's rescue.

"That soldier…he reminded me of...my exiled brother…" Hinoka sighed, thankful to be alive. Unsheathing Yato once more, he carved his way through a mass of soldier. Slash after slash caused deathly wails as soldier's dropped to the ground. He immediately threw out his hand to Selena, who had been forced onto the ground. She groaned reluctantly before taking his hand and helping herself to her feet.

"Thanks…I guess," Selena said before running past Corrin to get back in the battle. Corrin looked down at the soldiers that he was forced to slay, sighing heavily with the memories from before standing with them.

"I did it to save someone important, I did nothing wrong," Corrin growled, psyching himself up so that he could return. To prevent any further worry for the red headed retainer, Corrin made it his personal goal to stick closer to her and cover her flanks. Selena would occasionally glare him down as if he were a creeper as he deflected blows and severed the lives of his enemies.

"What is your deal? You're really starting to bother me!" Selena barked at Corrin, who was way too focused on his sword play to let anything distract him from his protective goal. Selena eventually shrugged it off and decided to accept the fact that he was making her job twice as easy as they pushed back unit after unit.

"I won't let any comrades die if it is within my power to prevent it," Corrin responded, cutting down a charging ax man that was headed at Selena. She simply shrugged as she stabbed through another medical unit without the slightest bit of caring about the death she was causing.

"Whatever floats your boat a guess…" Selena snickered as they continued on, keeping an eye on Beruka as they continued slaying the enemy.

The mass amounts of clashing blades and the cries of death made for a very disorienting field to try and come to the aid of that in need. Setsuna and Azama were basically put on defensive duty to keep more and more of their troops from being snuffed out from the battle. Hinoka, now mounted back onto her Pegasus, clenched her teeth angrily as she watched the numbers of her battalion dwindle.

"EVERYONE RETREAT!" Hinoka screamed out, her orders echoing along the field's grounds. Immediately, all enemies, even those engaged in combat, turned about face and ran back to safe ground, disgruntled by defeat. Hinoka caught sight of the mysterious soldier as he faced off in the distance, his eyes tracking the retreat to make sure it was a success.

The army and mercenaries all around him were in uproar of victorious shouts and claims of victory upon their retreat. Corrin let out a hefty sigh of relief as he smiled at the remaining mercenaries that lived to see another day. He quickly came to terms that casualties were inevitable, so he celebrated those that survived more so than grieve for those who had fallen. Turning around, he immediately came face to face with Baruka and Selena; Selena was sporting her signature "that was good enough" smile while Baruka's mouth tried to desperately smile but only made it halfway there.

"You shouldn't have put my life before your own…but thank you…" Beruka said, turning around to return to her wyvern. Selena shrugged her off before returning her gaze to Corrin.

"Don't think that I owe you anything, but thanks for the help," Selena grinned, turning around to follow Beruka's footsteps. Content and satisfied that those dear to him were unharmed, he wiped the sweat off of his brow, still trying to keep his face unavailable to everyone.

The loud cries of a mighty wyvern descended from above, catching everyone's attention as he came down to the earth. It was dark than the deepest of knights with a voluptuous woman in black armor holding the reigns. There was no mistaking it; the eldest princess of Nohr was gracing the battleground with her presence. Corrin knew that if Camilla got within ten feet of him, that she would be able to see through his façade in an instant. A cloud of dust flushed out in all directions as the malig knight landed, a smile on her face.

"My…what a gorgeous sight this is. I want to thank you all…personally for a hard battle won," Camilla's warm smile could warm the hearts of anyone, as well as scaring them to death. Beruka and Selena both came to her front, kneeling down as a sign of respect. Camilla grinned and gently placed her hands on there heads, ruffling them lovingly before letting them rise.

"I'm glad to see the two of you are safe, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either of you," Camilla said, playfully caressing Beruka's face. Beruka's face warmed only a slight bit before lowering her head.

"I'm sorry Lady Camilla…if it wasn't for one of the mercenaries that accompanied our forces; I wouldn't be standing before you. I feel that I have failed as your retainer…" Beruka sighed heavily, giving Selena a sign to step in and shake her up.

"Yeah, the one in the hood over there saved my butt as well," Selena said pointing directly at Corrin.

"Not good…NOT GOOD…" Corrin thought to himself, trying to think of a way to escape certain doom. He immediately turned to the leader of the mercenaries, who thankfully survived.

"I…I need to excuse myself sir," Corrin said hastily. The leader looked at him with a groan, giving his back a pat into Camilla's direction.

"Hey, you're about to thanked by a goddess, pull your head outta your ass and be thankful," the leader chuckled at Corrin's expense. Corrin growled at him as his attempt to escape was quickly thwarted. Camilla locked eyes with him, now slowly strutting towards him like the sexual diva she was. He pulled his hood down a little more as she arrived, her face putting on the warm smile she would always give him before putting him to rest.

"So you're the one who protected my precious retainers, that is very admirable of you. Any normal soldier would've fled the sight, but not you…you risked our life to help them when you yourself are a complete stranger. You deserve my deepest gratitude for such an incredible feat," Camilla's sultry voices made Corrin's façade feel like a miracle to keep up as she closed her face in on his. All of his comrades that had survived the gruesome battle were whistling and egging him on, as if he were trying to confess to his hidden crush. Camilla leaned forward until her lips were past his view, gently planting a kiss on his cheek with a soft thank you to follow. Corrin's face turned bright red as she backed away, giving him a final smile before turning to return to her wyvern.

"That…was WAY too close…" Corrin grunted as he gently placed his hand up to his cheek with the army and their mercenary group now putting distance between one another.

-To be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Crimson Tears

"Alright men, because our first mission supporting the Nohrian army went off without any major issues, we've been incorporated into their forces via a contract. That means everyone gets paid a definitive amount per battle! For now we will no longer have to bottom feed off of pointless skirmishes!" the commander shouted, immediately receiving a cheering cry from his forces. It had been a few years since they had become a mercenary group, so being admitted into an army as grandiose as the Nohrian forces was a dream come true. Of course this only applied to 99% of the army overall. Upon hearing the news, Corrin let loose an unnerving sigh as he picked up his bag of belongings and his Yato.

"Hey guy! Where you going?" one of Corrin's comrades who had fought at his side for weeks now had grown inebriated, stumbling towards him to try and stop his retreat. Corrin sighed softly to himself as his comrades reached out for him.

"Hey bud, where ya goin? Aren't you excited we're in a real army now?!" his comrade slurred throwing his arm over Corrin's shoulder. Corrin did honestly care about the men that he fought beside; each day, he'd learn a different story, every one of them more exciting than the last. Many of them aspired for greater things than war, while others were made for the task, giving them the perfect life they had always wanted. But alas, Corrin could not allow himself to be inducted into a side no matter how much he wished to. Corrin smiled at his comrade, slowly removing his arm from his shoulders.

"It is quite the thrill, but I must take leave. I have to um…use the water closet," Corrin said, slowly slipping away from his comrade that was clearly none the wiser. As much as it pained him to leave a band of mercenaries that he could borderline call his family, he knew that it was for the better if he were to drift off into the night. Tonight was a surprisingly pleasant night; the stars in the sky were in full bloom, displaying the beautiful patterns that he had been once taught of by Leo many years ago. The trees and brush swayed in the gentle warm breeze, which gave Corrin a nice euphoric feeling.

"I can't say that I'm not enjoying my freedom a bit, as selfish as that is. However, this freedom changes nothing if I am to change the tides of this war. I suppose it will be best if I find another mercenary group, because God knows I'm not about to begin one," Corrin sighed contently as he returned his eyes to the dimly lit road before him. It seemed like miles before Corrin stumbled upon any form of life; it was like a direct link to the feelings in his heart, which unfortunately Corrin didn't appreciate. It seemed like a small, traveling outpost of some random militant force. Wishing to avoid conflict, Corrin tried to make haste away from the outpost. Suddenly, a guard called out into the night, catching his ears clearly.

"What side do you fight for? Are you Nohrian? Hoshidan? Depending on your answer we may have to take action against you. So, which is it?" Corrin was flabbergasted at how the watchman was able to pick him out of the dark road, much more catch sight that he might be a threat. With stern courage, Corrin stopped, returning to the front of the fort show that he had no ill ploys in mind.

"I fight for neither Hoshido nor Nohr, I am simply a mercenary passing by. I do not wish quarrel with you, so please, allow me to pass," Corrin cried out, trying to get his voice up to the bellowing watchman. The watchman called for the guards at the front of the fort to take a closer look to be sure. Two spearman immediately met his front as if they were some sort of law officers; speculating as to wither or not he was a threat.

"May I ask why such asinine observation is necessary?" Corrin said, trying to maintain his patience for such an uncalled for scenario.

"Many apologies. Not far from here Nohrian forces dealt us grave casualties as a result of a skirmish. So we're on high alert towards anyone who so much as lays eyes on this fort," the soldier said, finishing his observation. The both of them stood back and bowed to him politely, showing their devotion to Hoshido's principles.

"You said you were a mercenary correct? We could really use your help while we wait for reinforcements to arrive from the east. As I said earlier we have taken very harsh casualties and are now incredibly short on man power. Would you please consider offering your services?" the Hoshidan soldier almost sounded as if he were begging for Corrin to say, which truly showed the severity of their situation. Corrin took a deep breath, letting it all out in a slow, drawn out sigh before shooting the watch man a smile.

"I serve those in need. If you wish to have my services, I will happily grant them to you. If I may ask, why would Nohrian forces attack such an irrelevant stronghold?" Corrin said, bowing back to the soldiers in return. They began to lead him in, signaling to the inside of the fort to open their doors.

"It is most unfortunate, but we are currently housing the youngest princess in Hoshido, Lady Sakura. Our mission was to help the retreat of our higher end forces and there are no greater priestess' than Lady Sakura to assist," the soldier replied, causing Corrin to grow quite pale.

"I-I see…I shall do all I can to assist you until your reinforcements arrive. You needn't pay me until my mission is fulfilled, so please, rest easy knowing that I will be on guard," Corrin smiled faintly, keeping his eyes hidden by his hood as they continued to walk further into the outpost. All of the Hoshidan forces that surrounded them look very cold and hurt, the terrors of war having taken a major toll on their hearts.

"You shall be under the command of one of Lady Sakura's retainers, you are treat them with the upmost respect and follow any orders in which they are to give you. Is that clear?" the soldier firmly stated, resulting in an affirmative nod as he led Corrin over to the said retainer. It looked to be a young woman with long, wave brown hair and odd pink attire that stuck out like a sore thumb. Her sword was laid out on a log, using it as a surface so that she could take a whetstone to its length, sharpening it. The retainer looked up with a foul grimace, causing the guard to stiffen up like a board of wood.

"Why is there an armed soldier standing in front of me? You do realize if he came from the outside he could be a spy," the retainer snapped at the soldier, causing him to take a nervous gulp to steady him.

"He is a mercenary that doesn't have an alignment to either side Lady Hanna. He is here to help in the base's defenses while we await reinforcements. I knew that we were short handed, so I let him in," the soldier was now at the tip of Hanna's sword, as if it was calling him out for treason. Hanna then sighed softly, returning her sword to the log before rising to her feet.

"You are dismissed. As for you, mercenary, take a seat," Hanna ordered, causing Corrin to move himself to the dirt in which he was standing. She sat back down and continued eyeing him carefully as she removed her blade from the log, giving it a proper cleaning before returning it to its sheath. She then gave the signal for Corrin to rise once more, allowing her to give him another shake down with her eyes.

"If you wish to prove yourself useful, I must insist that we partake in a little sparring match. If you can fend off my strikes or defeat me, I will willingly accept you into our ranks for the time being. But should you lose, I will have to ask you to leave immediately. We don't need any soldiers that aren't worthy to protect one of the grand Princesses of Hoshido," Hanna said stalwartly, leading Corrin over to a circle. He watched as Hanna drew her sword, signaling for him to do the same. Hanna's eyes stared fiercely as a very familiar blade was drawn into the air.

"Tell me, does that flashy blade of yours have a name?" Hanna asked, slowly circling in sync with Corrin.

"Its appearance is merely for show, I assure you, it is nothing but an ordinary sword," Corrin replied, trying to be as convincing as possible to hide his identity. It was if the Gods were challenging Corrin every step of his journey, putting his identity and life in certain danger with each and every instance. Hanna immediately lunged for him, crying out as she took a vicious swing at his chest. Corrin quickly batted her sword aside before parrying another immediate blow from her lightning fast swings. Hanna's swipes and slashes were met with a plethora of swift dodging and parrying, causing her temper and concentration to waver. Many of her subordinates watched as the strange mercenary manhandled their beloved captain with minimal difficulty. With a final fierce swing, Hanna cried out, as if trying to kill him. Her blade was then hit with a sudden burst of strength from his sword, knocking her blade from her hands before being pointed directly into her face. Huffing and puffing she couldn't believe her eyes at the skill of this mysterious mercenary.

"Does that meet your standards, Captain Hanna?" Corrin asked modestly, sheathing his sword to his side as she retrieved her beloved katana from the ground. She sighed heavily, grimacing at him as she sheathed it back into its home. She then smiled and offered out her hand out of respect for his skills.

"That definitely passed the test! Great match," Hanna's attitude flipped on a dime as Corrin thankfully shook her hand, smiling from beneath his hood. A one-man applause could be heard coming from their right side; a young man with long, flowing dark red hair and a handsome smile was the source of the sound.

"Truly extraordinary, that was absolutely perfect form!" the man said, continuing to smile as he shifted his attention to Hanna.

"I don't think I've ever seen you fall so quickly in sparring before, well, except for sparring with Lord Ryoma. That means that our friend here is quite the fighter," the man snickered. Hanna grumbled at him as she returned her attention to Corrin.

"This is Subaki, he's Lady Sakura's other retainer and an expert Pegasus rider. Subaki, meet…um, what did you say your name was?" Hanna quickly inquired, causing Corrin to tense up for just a moment.

"I'm just a mercenary, names are pointless to us," Corrin hastily replied, trying to throw the conversation off course. Hanna and Subaki gazed at him intently for moment before shrugging their shoulders to brush it off.

"Well just a mercenary, I hope that we can see this night through without any casualties. We're counting on you, and the superb swordsmanship of yours," Subaki grinned before waving him and Hanna off. Hanna glared at him fiercly; being belittled by Subaki was one of her biggest pet peeves in existence. Corrin remained neutral as Hanna regained her composure.

"In about 10 minutes, Subaki's forces are going to take a wide swing around the parameter to make sure that we are clear of any threats. Our goal is to remain at the front of the castle to take on any threat should they arise. I suggest that you head to that post as soon as you can," Hanna ordered, sighing before turning to walk towards a rather large tent near the back of the camp. Corrin let out a sigh of relief as he enjoyed a stress free moment to himself.

"Trying to keep an identity hidden is quite a frustrating task…" Corrin groaned as he made his way to the head of the fort. Continuing to look about all the members of Sakura's small army, it was clear to Corrin that there was something dastardly on the horizon. It was his insides were constant shaking him, telling him that tragedy was sure to follow him into this poor, secluded camp. Sure enough, after twenty minutes had passed Subaki's platoon returned to the middle of the base with a rush of panic in their demeanors. The loud landing stirred up the precious Lady Sakura, causing her to come out into the open immediately.

"What is the situation? What did you see Subaki?" Sakura immediately inquired, slowly hustling up to him. Subaki's face filled with gloom as his eyes met with Sakura's.

"Lady Sakura. I'm sorry to say but our reinforcements are currently being routed by the enemy. They were ambushed no more than a few miles away from here by one of Nohr's higher commanders. I'm afraid Lord Takumi is trapped within that trap…" Subaki growled, his fists tightening as the image of his friends being burned into his mind. Sakura reached up and cupped Subaki's cheeks affectionately, looking him in the eye.

"You have done well Subaki, thank you. Hanna, I would like you to take half of your forces to assist Takumi so that she can make a safe retreat, the rest of yours and Subaki's troops will remain here," Sakura ordered nervously, trying to put on a strong front for her forces.

"I can't leave your side Lady Sakura, I swore on my life that I would keep you safe!" Hanna cried, refusing to leave Sakura alone with just Subaki's forces.

"You said that the mercenary that came here defeated you in a sparing match correct? Send him a long with half of your soldiers so that you may stay by my side," Sakura was ready to make any compromises that she could in order to get things done.

"We have no choice…you, mercenary! Take fifty men with you and bring Lord Takumi back here in one piece. Go now!" Hanna ordered. It was if she flipped an on switch within Corrin as he immediately began rallying the troops he needed to make their march. As he and his handful of soldiers charged the ambush point, he recalled how Takumi took to people who didn't meet his criteria. He knew Takumi would immediately grow suspicious of his presence but there wasn't any time to waste. Corrin and his troops were immediately met with an onslaught of faceless that stood at the guard point of the enemy forces.

"Faceless…that's not good, that means that Leo is somewhere nearby…" Corrin growled as he drew Yato from his side. All the rest of his Hoshidan allies withdrew their weapons, making a sound battle cry as they confronted Leo's small faceless army that guarded his back. Corrin was able to handle one after another with only minimal trouble, however, the rest of his forces were forced to put two men against any single faceless enemy. Corrin watched in horror as the Hoshidan forces that he brought with him were already being put down like mad dogs. Corrin found himself screaming on the inside as soldier after soldier lost their lives to the faceless monsters. He knew that he couldn't save them, there were far too many to get to.

Against his moral judgment, he yelled in frustration as he charged through the faceless barricade, tearing down one after another until he was free of their clutches. The yells and screams of his allies fueled a vicious fire that burned in his eyes, ready to cut down anything that would stand in his way of saving Lord Takumi. Now being confronted with Nohrian soldiers, Corrin found himself being thrown into a viper pit, ready and willing to cut his way to freedom. His heart suddenly stopped as he suddenly saw Peri, one of Lord Xander's retainers riding around, laughing and singing as she cut down Hoshidan soldier's limb from limb. It could only mean that Leo wasn't alone.

"Gods! Why must I be tested like this!?" Corrin let loose a battle cry as he began using every inch of his skill and techniques that he had learned from Xander himself to take on one Nohrian soldier after another, dodging and cutting down one by one. Corrin did everything in his power to incapacitate the soldiers, cutting at their legs to disable them the best he could. Cutting through almost thirty soldiers, the exhausted Corrin finally made his way into a clearing where the key players in the Hoshidan army stood and fought. Takumi and both of his retainers, Oboro and Hinata, and a handful of their forces were fighting tooth and nail to survive against the ruthless Nohrian ambush. As Takumi aimed for another soldier, the loud galloping sounds of a horse charged him with an uncontrollable fit of laughter following.

"Playtime is over , sorrrrrry!" Peri laughed as she dashed, catching Takumi off guard. Corrin immediately dashed for Takumi, tackling him to the ground as Peri's spear went right for his head.

"Stay safe, I'll divert their attention. I was sent here to secure your escape Lord Takumi," Corrin shouted, helping Takumi back onto his feet without fail. Takumi went to shout at Corrin but he was immediately put on guard by another swordsman in his face.

"So sorry for this, but I have my orders," Laslow sighed as he drove Takumi around, staying way too close to him for Takumi to even let loose a shot. Takumi tripped over a downed Hoshidan soldier as he tried to evade Laslow's swings. He hit the ground with a thud as the Nohrian retainer went for the kill. Growling loudly, Corrin shoulder checked Laslow, knocking him to the ground so that Takumi could rise up again.

"Grab your retainers and escape Lord Takumi, NOW!" Corrin drilled his words into the silent Takumi, who could only make a stern face as he whistled for Hinata and Oboro to move on. Ten soldiers managed to make it out of the faceless onslaught, which was bare enough to help them clear a path. Trying to reach them, Corrin noticed a glimmer of something in a tree, aim directly for Takumi. Growing restless, Corrin charged Takumi once more, this time cutting down an arrow as he tried to fly by.

"Damn, looks like they have one hell of a soldier on their side," Niles said with a smile, setting up more shots to make this hooded soldier dance. Corrin glared around the battlefield desperately, trying to find signs of Xander and Leo so that he knew they were safe to escape. A sudden explosion of magic erupted next to Corrin, knocking him off his feet to roll along the ground.

"It seems that the dark void within my heart will not allow me to rest until you have perished!" Odin dramatically barked at Corrin as he rose back onto his feet. Corrin felt as if he were running an obstacle course as he saw more arrow shooting at him, with Peri and Laslow circling around as they killed countless Hoshidan forces.

"There's no way I'll survive if I keep carrying on like this…GAH DAMN IT ALL!" Corrin cried as he kept his attention sprawled across four different sources. He knew now that there was no escaping this battle without shedding blood that he fought so hard not to. Loud cackling came from his flank, causing Corrin to divert his aggressive gaze from the surroundings and onto his first victim. As Peri went to give Corrin a stern thrust of her spear, he dropped to his knees and cut down her mounts legs, causing her to be thrown off into the middle of the circle. Peri growled like an animal at Corrin, lickering her lips as she readied her next strike.

"I'm going to stab you to death for doing that to my precious horsie!" Peri cried, immediately engaging Corrin on foot. The disadvantage of reach proved a challenge as he began avoiding her swings and thrusts, one after another. Peri began to yell and whine in frustration as she swung harder and harder, desperately trying to land a single blow. Suddenly, blinding arrow shot past him, nailing Peri in her shoulder with a loud crack. She screamed in pain as she tried was then his with another, this time in her side. Corrin turned to see Takumi lining up his next shot as Oboro and Hinata continued to deal with the Nohrian grunts that blocked their way. Peri's eye's widened as she saw his next shot aiming directly for her head, which was then blown away by a shock of black and red light. Galloping to Peri's aid, Xander's mount stepped before her, guarding her from any further assaults. Takumi grit his teeth tightly as he urged Oboro and Hinata to move on with him following.

"You aren't mortally wounded are you Peri?" Xander inquired as Peri's eyes shimmered with tears of joy.

"No my Lord Xander, your Peri is fine," she said with a smile. Xander gave her a grin before turning his head towards Corrin, his expression immediately growing murderous as he stared him down.

"It is a shame that such a talented swordsman such as yourself has chosen to die in such a meaningless battle. Have you any words before I cut you down?" Xander scowled as he raised Seigfried up to Corrin's face.

"Defeat is only inevitable once you have admitted to it," Corrin glared from beneath his hood, returning words that Xander had once taught him when facing down impossible odds. Xander stared at Corrin in amusement as he removed his sword from Corrin's face and raised it above him.

"I will give a superb soldier such as yourself the death you deserve!" Xander called, swinging down Siegfried at Corrin. Corrin immediately held Yato up, using his hands against the back of his blade to guard against the harsh swing. Xander retracted his blade, allowing them to begin a valiant duel. Surprised by his opponent's skill and knowledge of his fighting style, Xander felt as if he were combating himself when he was at a younger age; still full of fight, even with a style that wasn't quite refined. Corrin felt his strength being pushed to its limits with every clashing blow that he shared with Xander, growling behind the struggle that he had.

Corrin felt his ears bleed as a death yell came from his rear where Takumi, Hinata and Oboro had tried to escape from. In fear of the worst, Corrin's eyes lit up with anger as he used his full strength against Xander, knocking his blade far enough away to make a run for it. Corrin barely gained his footing as a magical blast from Siegfried caused the ground behind him to explode. All he could do was focus in on the yelling as his feet hopped and ran around the countless faceless and Hoshidan bodies that littered the ground.

"I won't…let you harm…LORD TAKUMI!" Hinata screamed as another surge of energy shot up from the ground, forming a tree of light as he was knocked clean off of his feet. Corrin could see Leo's Brynhildr glowing in the night as he watched another burst of magic mangle Hinata's legs. Corrin didn't know what to feel anymore. His mind and body had begun to feed off of his anger and frustration, clouding his judgment and emotions as he began acting on it instead of thinking.

"STOP IT NOW!" Corrin roared as a final eruption of light formed beneath Hinata, this time putting him down for good. Oboro covered her mouth and screamed as she watched Hinata's charred and battered hit the dirt like a sack of bricks.

"NO! HINATA! PLEASE! DON'T DIE!" Oboro cried for her fallen comrade as she dropped to her knees, now pulling him into her arms. Takumi's eyes were blinded by rage as he began to draw back on Fujin Yumi, now taking shot after shot as Leo circled around them.

"Such a pathetic display…I expected more from you Prince of Hoshido. Not only are you failing to land a single blow on me, you allowed one of your retainers to die needlessly…pathetic indeed," Leo grinned, his voice dropping in pitch like a devil as he continued to go toe to toe with Takumi. Oboro tore her eyes from Hinata and over to Corrin, tears rolling down her face as she growled and grabbed a hold of her naginata.

"No Oboro! He's too strong, pull back now!" Takumi yelled as Oboro angrily charged Leo with the rage of hell building in her heart. Leo smirked as he immediately cast out another trap of magic, exploding as Oboro recklessly stepped over it. She screamed in pain as she hit the ground, refusing to give up as she shook and grabbed a hold of her spear once more. Corrin could stand around no longer, charging Leo as Oboro finally got back up onto her feet.

Leo immediately pulled back as a different source of light began to glow in front of Corrin, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. An explosion separated Leo and Corrin, it was clear that Leo's retainers had finally caught up with them. Corrin's ears felt as if they were stabbed with needles as Oboro let out another scream as two arrows dug into her side.

"OBORO!" Takumi growled, unable to take his attention away from Leo as they continued firing away at one another. Oboro cried out in agony as she continued to move, refusing to stop as she went to reach for her spear once more.

"Not like this…I refuse…to die like this!" Oboro's voice grew weak as she grabbed a hold of her spear, using it as a crutch to rise back up. Corrin immediately charged her, tackling her to the ground as two more arrows flew by.

"Stay here, I'll take care of this OK?" Corrin said, grabbing a hold of Oboro's shoulders to keep her attention. She sniffled and wiped her teary eyes as she gave him a nod, doing everything she could to keep from bursting into tears. Corrin immediately growled out, turning towards Niles without any delay.

"Persistent little buggers aren't they?" Niles said to himself as he used his skills to fire a seemingly endless stream of arrows. Corrin cut most of them down, only taking one arrow to his shoulder as he slashed at Niles, cutting his bow in half. Niles tried to reach for a dagger in his holster pocket but was immediately stabbed through his shoulder to pin him to the ground. He cried out in agony as he stared into Corrin's face, which was now contorted and filled with overwhelming anger. He removed his sword from Niles shoulder, only to stab through his other as hard as Corrin could. Niles shrieked in pain as Corrin removed it from Niles once more, now turning to Odin who was reading off his tome.

"May the Gods forgive you, because you will only receive death from me!" Odin shouted, causing an explosion to burst at Corrin's side. Corrin quickly rolled to the side, immediately charging towards Odin once more. Odin tried to ready another strong spell, but Corrin immediately rammed Yato through the tome itself, viciously stabbing Odin into his chest. Both Niles and Odin's cries immediately caught Leo's attention, leaving him to stare in disbelief as Niles and Odin laid their vitals in critical condition as Corrin snarled at him. Takumi couldn't help but to laugh at Leo as he aimed an arrow at his head.

"Pathetic indeed you Nohrian scum!" Takumi barked as he fired off a shot from Fujin Yumi. Leo maneuvered but wasn't able to avoid it, taking its piecing blow to his side. He yelped and growled in pain as he gripped the arrow, ripping it out forcefully in defiance.

"Don't take me so lightly you piece of trash!" Leo yelled back a roaring stampede of hooves shook the ground like an earthquake. Corrin immediately ran over to Oboro, quickly dragging her off the ground and over his shoulder Takumi joined him. Takumi pushed Corrin along as they both fled the scene with great haste, quickly putting distance between themselves and the death that was trying to persue. Xander stared at the unreal sight of two now dead retainers and an injured Leo that was now breathing heavily from pain.

"Gods! What happened here?!" Xander shouted, immediately heading to Leo's aid. Leo shook his head and coughed to regain his posture as his dear big brother came to his rescue.

"That hooded soldier…he did all of this…and that pesky prince managed to catch me in the side…I'm sorry brother, I failed you," Leo growled as Xander gave him a hug of endearment, filled with relief that his brother was now safe.

"We'll avenge them Leo, we'll make all of Hoshido pay for the things they have done to us. Together, we will claim this land for Nohr!" Xander shouted giving Leo a firm pat on his.

Corrin couldn't shake the fact that he had just killed both of Leo's retainers, people that he had met and known for years now. His heart began to throb with intense pain as the two of them helped the incredibly injured Oboro back to the base. Corrin wanted nothing more put to fall to his knees and scream at the night sky, cursing it for the trials that they had forced him through on his journey. He couldn't tell if the tragedies that were transpiring were to help him grow stronger, or helping him lose his sense of self to anger and rage, forcing him to stain his footsteps with blood on his seemingly endless path to peace.

"I can't take this anymore…I have to leave this place…" Corrin recited to himself over and over again in his head, his feelings on the verge of falling apart. The only thing keeping him in check at the moment was making sure that Oboro and Takumi made it safely back to camp, just as he promised.

"You saved my life, even under impossible odds. You are truly a fierce warrior worthy of praise. Tell me, what is your name?" Takumi asked as they reached the gate. Corrin refused to reveal his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks, reflecting brilliantly in the moonlight. It was clear to Takumi that this soldier has been through too much to even imagine, which deterred Takumi off his questioning.

"I am just a mercenary…names are meaningless to me…" Corrin's voice staggered, wavering as his sadness began to overpower his will. As the doors to the fort opened, Takumi couldn't help but to smile at the sad soldier who had risked everything to save his life. However, after entering, as the gates slowly closed, Takumi stared, unable to believe what he was seeing as the soldier's hood was removed; revealing Corrin's pained face as clear as day.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: The Bloom of a New Family

"Sister…is Corrin really…that bad?" Elise pouted as Camilla helped her into bed. Camilla smiled at Elise, sighing gently as she tucked her in nice and tight for the evening.

"I don't believe that our dear brother is bad…but it's what Xander and father believes to be true. Not choosing our side during that fateful day branded him a traitor to Nohr, that's all there is to be said on that," Camilla gently kissed as very disgruntled Elise on her forehead, trying to ease her to sleep. Elise shook her head, immediately sitting back up in bed as she turned to Camilla.

"But he didn't join the Hoshidans either! That means he's not a traitor!" Elise cried, refusing to be put down so easily. Regardless of being the youngest and the most naïve, Elise refused to be belittled by her older siblings, especially when Corrin was the number one topic at hand. She loved her siblings more than anything in this world and Corrin was no exception. Camilla frowned as she leaned forward to give Elise a warm, maternal hug, holding her close to her chest.

"If I had my way, I would search for him, and make him a member of our family once more. I know that our dear Corrin isn't a traitor Elise, nor is he a bad person. But we can't let the others know we think that way. Otherwise we may be branded as traitorous. So please know Elise, you aren't the only one who misses him. Now, be a dear and get some rest OK?" Camilla said softly as she gently combed Elise's beautiful blonde hair with her fingers. Elise simply sighed and gave her loving sister a nod before lying back in her bed. Laying patiently for her sister's footsteps to vanish, Elise smiled mischievously to herself. As the door to the spire closed, Elise immediately shot up in bed, removing her body from the bed and immediately making her way into her clothing closet.

"I guess I'll just have my way then!" Elise said with a chipper smile, as she found her favorite dress that she frequently wore. For nearly a month now Elise had been worried sick about her brother, adopted or not, so sick to the point to where she rarely left her room at all. Although there weren't hardly any leads on his whereabouts, she knew him very well, and what places he might wander off to. She took several hours to prep herself for the journey she was about to endure. Between the warm feeling in her heart and her retainers accompanying her, she knew that she had nothing to fear while she searched for her dear brother. Writing a letter so that her beloved siblings would fret as much, she finally took one more look in the mirror and smiled. She finished off her look by equipping a cloak that she sometimes wear during the winter and a muffler to help hide her face. Once she felt she was all prepped and ready to go, she opened up a drawer on her night stand to pull out a special bell. It was used whenever she wished to summon her retainers in case of an emergency or just when she was in need of something.

"I just hope they'll listen to me," Elise sighed as she opened the window to her room. The moon had finally begun to shine, lighting the ground with its gentle gaze. Looking down she was able to clearly see both Effie and Arthur talking cordially as they stayed on guard for her safety. She slowly reached out her window and began shaking her bell, just loud enough to catch their attention. Arthur left his post while Effie remained, meaning he was going to be at her door any minute. Quickly putting the bell away, she took a deep breath, steadying her nerves so that she may confidently give her orders without hesitation. Sure enough a sound knocking came at her door, both energetic and concerned for her needs.

"Lady Elise, it is I, Arthur. What ales you on a night such as this?" Arthur shouted through the door. Elise couldn't help but to giggle at his call. She has told him time and time again that he is free to enter if she rings the bell.

"You can come in Arthur, you know I can't hear you through the door very well silly," Elise grinned as he opened the door. His appearance was spotless; it was clear that he had cleaned and polished all of his equipment to perfection. His hair was in perfect order and his teeth were as beautiful as an elephants tusk. Archer's standards for himself were always at such a high level.

"Many apologies Lady Elise, it seems that I have forgotten once more what you have asked of me. Hmm…Lady Elise, why are you dressed in such a deceptive manner? Surely you are not planning to leave the castle on this cool dark night," Arthur's words felt like they were ready to get the upper hand on her, but she wasn't going to budge, nor was she going to surrender her cause.

"I have called you here Arthur because I wish to leave the castle. I don't believe that my older brother is a traitor to Nohr. I'm so worried about him that I haven't been able to sleep or eat well at all…so please Arthur, grant me this wish and accompany so that I may find my loving brother once again?" Elise was always fond of theatrics and now her pity request game was on par with the greatest. Arthur saw the shine of her tears shimmering in the moonlight, a testament to her current place and cares in the world.

"I um…please don't cry Lady Elise. It is my sworn duty to both uphold justice and to follow your every word! If you wish to find your brother, than I shall be at your side the whole way, no matter how long it takes!" Arthur's positivity was one of the reasons that she loved having him as a retainer so much. He is so kind and honest with a big heart to match. Elise snickered to herself as she approached Arthur, giving him a hug around his neck.

"Thank you, thank you! Now let's get going!" Elise cheered quietly as they silently left the room. This wasn't the first time that Elise had been quietly escorted at her command, so inching down the long stairs of the spire had grown fairly easy to tread. Finally reaching the outdoors, Effie turned to the two of them.

"Lady Elise! Where on Earth do you think you're going?" Effie inquired, giving her the parental expression that she felt the need to sport every now and again. Elise simply smiled as she slowly inched behind Arthur, pushing him forward to explain in her stead.

"I um…Lady Elise wishes to go on a daring adventure in order to find her brother, the recently excommunicated Prince Corrin. She believes that he isn't a traitor to Nohr and wishes to accompany him. The passion she displayed to me on the subject was more emotional than I had ever seen from her before. So, I feel it is our duty to follow Lady Elise as she embarks on this dangerous journey," Arthur put his heart into every word, doing everything in his power to get through to Effie. Effie sighed then smiled at Elise, who was now walking around from behind Arthur towards her. Effie gently gave Elise a rub on the top of her head as she grinned.

"There's no stopping our princess once she has set her heart on something. Very well, I approve. I suggest we leave before the sun comes up. The only problem now is that all of the horses have been locked in for the night, so if we leave before daybreak we'll have to do so on foot," Effie said as she turned to grab her spear and shield. Elise smirked and pulled out a purse and shook it, the sound of money rang almost as clearly as her bell.

"No worries, we'll just have to buy a horse once we get to the next town from the castle. So let's get going now," Elise ordered. Effie reached and grabbed a small chest that was against the castle walls and dragged it out into the open. Elise smirked as she pulled out a key to undo the lock, revealing her trusty staff that she used to heal on the battlefield. She also removed three sacks full of rations. She handed one to both Effie and Arthur before tying her own onto her waist.

"NOW we're all set," Elise let loose a giggle, tapping the bottom of her staff on the cobblestone ground a few times. Arthur then retrieved his trusty ax, finishing the preparations for the journey.

"Don't worry Corrin, you're loving sister is coming for you," Elise said quietly to herself as she signaled for Effie and Arthur to follow her lead.

"Are you serious Takumi? You said you saw Corrin?!" Sakura's eyes lit up with joy as Takumi scratched his scruffy hair as if he had a major itch. He couldn't shake what he saw after the forts gates closed no more than a few hours ago, leaving him confused on his brother's stance in it all.

"I can't believe it…Corrin is a traitor and a liar! Why would he risk his life to save mine?!" Takumi scowled in frustration; the thought of being in debt to his exiled brother made his blood boil. Deep in his heart he felt that there was hope for their brother yet, but his pride and rationality did not allow those feelings to surface.

"It's because Corrin is not a traitor! He is still our loving and caring sibling! He may not have joined us, but he didn't join Nohr's forces either, that means that he can't be terrible!" Sakura cried, her feelings for her brother that she had been reborn surfacing once more. Takumi was very hard headed and stubborn, but right now he was at a complete loss of words while confronting his little sister. She was normally very calm and peaceful, but right now, it's as if there is a fire burning in her heart.

"Regardless, it's too dangerous right now to pursue Corrin anyway…after that last skirmish, Nohrian forces have essentially cut us off from the rest of our forces. All we can do now is defend and pray to whatever God there may be that we can make it through," Takumi sighed as he plopped down on a log, covering his face with his hands. The images from early were burned into his eyes; watching one of his trusted retainers die at the hands of that vile Nohrian prince made his stomach turn worse than knowing Corrin had saved his and Oboro's lives. He was startled by Sakura's soft, dainty hands pulling his head against her in a soft embrace, doing everything she could to try and put him at ease.

"Takumi…I would…like you to go look for Corrin for me," Sakura said quietly. Takumi's expression immediately grew sour as he gently removed Sakura from him. He stood up and growled at her as if she had just committed a cardinal sin.

"You expect me to leave you here, all alone while I go search for some traitor?! Please tell me you are not serious!" Takumi barked at her, causing her eyes to slowly well up with tears. Noticing this put Takumi in a very weird place; he had never, ever snapped at Sakura so fiercely before, which quickly gave him a nasty guilty conscious. Corrin had also saved his life when he could've easily left him and Oboro to die at the hands of the Nohrian royalty that had cut off their forces. His pride as a hot blooded prince and his moral code began to collide as his thoughts swirled around like a storm.

"I'm sorry, dear sister. I didn't want to upset you. If…I can't believe I'm saying this…if it will give you peace of mind and heal your broken heart…I guess…I can go find him for you…" Takumi sighed heavily, smiling lightly as Sakura's whole being shined with her smile. It was official, Takumi, the prickly prince of Hoshido, was going to break his royal obligation of punishing a traitor. Instead he was going to retrieve said traitor, and try to invite him back to their family. He shook his head as he slung Fujin Yumi on his shoulder.

"I'll try to make this quick. If I don't return in a few days time, send scouts to the North to find me. I swear to you that I will not be defeated by the likes him of or anything else that comes between me and my mission. Sakura, I would strongly suggest that you don't tell our elder brother and sister about this, OK? That's all I ask," Takumi said, placing his hands on Sakura's shoulders. Sakura's tears were that of joy as she gave him a hasty nod, being followed with the strongest hug that she could offer. He sighed heavily again then smiled, giving her a pat on the head before letting go of her.

"I also need you to tend to Oboro for me. I'm going to need her if I plan to make it out of this alive. As strong as I am, I'm in a rough patch if I am ever to be found at a sword's length," Takumi smirked, snagging an apple off of a table nearby to munch on as he headed towards the rear entry to the fort.

"I'm going to get my brother back…I can't wait!" Sakura said, wiping her teary eyes before heading to Oboro's tent. Takumi waited patiently just outside the rear exit way of the fort. As he continued to partake in his apple he stared off at the moon and stars, still unable to believe what he was about to do. He had to fight against every single thought on this mission; it was like a waterfall of negativity that constantly fell and crashed within his heart. His deep thoughts were shook away as the rear exit opened and shut, a very worn out Oboro yawning with her naginata in hand.

"Thank you for accompanying me Oboro…I know it's hard to move on so easily with Hinata being reunited with my mother so soon," Takumi said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She removed it slowly, clasping bother her hands around it as she smiled in his eyes.

"Hinata would make fun of me if I let this stop me from accompanying you my lord. I will follow you to hell itself and back again to keep you safe," Oboro replied releasing Takumi's hand. He simple smirked then huffed out a sigh before pushing himself off of the fort wall.

"Alright then, let's get a move on. I'll hunt us up some breakfast when daylight hits alright?" Takumi said as Oboro immediately ran to his side. At that moment, Takumi actually felt somewhat relieved. It had been some time since he was allowed to let his venturous nature roam free, much less receiving an order to do so. Given that reason, he decided to use that as an excuse to go along with this mission, with Corrin being nothing more than a means to an end.

"I have to stop these atrocities from growing worse…I'm still finding it hard to believe that I had killed many men as a means of survival. So much for my own personal oath huh…" Corrin said to himself as he continued onward. The images from the massacre of the Hoshidan army continued to replay in his mind, giving him a new constant reminder that there truly aren't any winners in war. Although restless from traveling, he refused to stop to rest, his bold determination to change the world still burning in his heart. He wanted his sorrow to come; he wanted to cry his tears and yell out his frustrations, but the traumatic events that have transpired have numbed his pains by quite a large margin.

As light began to grace the land, he heard screams coming from nearby. He dashed in the direction of the sounds, only to find a small village; it was quite secluded from the area around it seeing that he was now charging through a short stretch of forest and brush to reach it. Looking around, it was if the nightmare from before was being played out once more. It was filled with a handful of faceless monsters, terrorizing the poor village while taking the lives of its residents.

There were still shouts to be heard to his surprise as he reached the brim of the village. It seemed as all of the faceless were ready to converge on a single target. Seeing that there was any hope to save someone of this village, he charged in, recklessly yelling to get the faceless monsters attentions. Finally reaching them, he saw what appeared to be a young girl, swinging a spear around in a circle desperately in an attempt to keep her self alive. Her clothes were tattered and stitched up with her expression of fear and her shaking legs leading to the assumption that she was merely an unfortunate farm girl caught in the middle of hell.

"Steady arms! I'm coming your way!" Corrin called out to the girl, who was still screaming and crying as she tried to shoo them away like crows on crops. Corrin easily cut down three faceless in his path, cutting off limbs with every swipe as he made his way to the poor girl. Her face was drenched with tears; her whole body trembled as she tried to keep them back. He looked around to find a number of dead residents, several of them resembling her looks quite closely. The girl jumped as she felt Corrin's back press to hers, almost causing her to turn and swing at him with fear.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help! I just need you to stick close to me alright? I'll take care of these monsters!" Corrin growled at the faceless as he allowed each of them to take a swing at him, luring their attention and striking them down with powerful blows. The girl continued swiping away in front of her, doing her best to keep them off Corrin's back as he proceeded to massacre the heartless creatures. It was if they were in a dance as they moved around, their backs staying close as they made their way through the town, murdering every faceless in their path. As the last faceless made its deathly growl of defeat, the poor farm girl fell back onto her rear, breathing heavily as she buried her eyes in her arms.

"Are you alright?" Corrin said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to cause comfort in her poor, frightened body. She slowly raised her head up, sniffing snot away as she tried to dry her crying face.

"I…I am, thanks you to you…thank you so…much for saving me…" the girl tried her best to get her words out, trying to fight through her tears and urges to scream to try and not startle her savior. Corrin sighed in discontent as he looked around at the mass amounts of death that flooded the ground. He eased up to her and pulled her face into his chest, gently stroking her hair as she proceeded to cry uncontrollably into him. It was the same thing that Camilla used to do for him when he was unbelievably upset. She grasped onto him, continuing to sob loudly as he tried to calm her. It took a few minutes but her cries gradually died down once she got it all out of her system.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to smear you with my tears and snot…my name is Mozu, I'm the youngest daughter of the main farmer in this village. I…I have no words to describe how thankful I am to have you save me," Mozu bowed to him on the ground like a peasant to royalty, which ironically wasn't too far off from the truth.

"No thanks is necessary Mozu, I'm just doing as my heart tells me to. Unfortunately I can see that the land is completely destroyed and judging by your reaction, I'm guessing there are no other survivors?" Corrin hated to ask such grimly obvious questions, but he wanted to see what information he could get to insure this poor girl's safety. Mozu sighed heavily and gave him a sad, subtle nod.

"Yes…my whole family is now dead. All of the people I knew and all the people I saw like brothers and sisters…everyone is dead. I know it's a tough question to ask, but it's OK. I just…have no where to go now," Mozu said, sighing heavily as she tried to keep her eyes on Corrin. There were clearly no other options in a situation such as this. He had one of two choices: leave her be all alone, or allow her to accompany him so that he could watch over her for the time being. No matter how numb these hard times have made his heart, Corrin would never turn his back on anyone in need.

"Mozu. If you wish, you can accompany me on my travels. I won't lie though, it will be incredibly dangerous. I travel battlefield to battlefield, trying to fight for what I believe it just. I'm not sure how well I'll be able to protect you, but I won't let you die all alone," Corrin said, causing a shy, hopeful smile to form across Mozu's lips.

"I'll do anything you ask of me; I'll make sure that I'm not just dead weight on you during your travels. Oh, what's your name by the way?" Mozu asked curiously, his hood still shrouding him in mystery. He smiled at her, reaching at its brim to pull it away from his face. Her eyes gazed in awe at the odd face and hair of her savior.

"I'm Corrin, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mozu," Corrin said with a warm smile, causing them both to share a small moment of joy within the horrible aftermath of the massacre.

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Horrors of War

"I don't believe I deserve my title of tactician or the honor of being a Nohrian prince. Not only did I fail in apprehending the Hoshidan Prince, but I lead both of my retainers to their deaths in such a worthless battle…father is going to be furious with me," Leo, as cold as he was, actually had tears in his eyes as a result of their last battle. Xander's role in the operation against the Hoshidan reinforcement march wasn't to command it from the ground, but to watch over Leo as tried to show results of his extensive training to better improve his tactical prowess. This was the first major time that Xander had appointed Leo the head of such an extensive operation. Xander firmly put his hand on his shoulder, trying to put him at ease.

"Do not refer to such an event as a defeat. We still managed to crush the Hoshidan forces and destroyed valuable supplies that they desperately needed. Both Odin and Niles fought to the bitter end for you Leo, just as they were purposed to do so. Do not let their deaths be in vain," Xander's profound wisdom and encouraging aura really made it feel like he was already king. Leo wiped his eyes and put on his best smile, giving Xander a pat on his arm.

"Thank you, brother. It appears that I still have much to learn. I think we've left father waiting long enough, let us proceed," Leo replied, gathering himself together as they stopped at the throne room doors. Across the bridge in the army's quarters, a loud cry could be heard echoing down the west wing. Standing at the wall next to the armory, a very upset Selena had pinned Laslow to the wall with furious anger.

"NO! YOU'RE LIEING! HE CAN'T BE DEAD! HE CAN'T!" Selena screamed in Laslow's face to protest against his tragic news. With three of them sharing more than just a bond of friendship, Selena, Laslow, and Odin were more like family than comrades. Laslow woefully pulled Selena face into his chest, gently resting his hand on her head as she proceeded to cry uncontrollably. Laslow's eyes were also shimmering with tears, knowing that he could've saved Odin had he chased down the hooded assailant. It wasn't in his orders however; Xander had ordered him and Peri to stay and finish off the rest of the rebelling Hoshidan forces.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT INIGO! HOW COULD YOU JUST LET OWAIN DIE!?" Selena screamed, bashing her hands against his shoulders as she cried her eyes out. Selena knew that in times of war, tragedies were bound to strike the hearts of everyone involved. However, the three of them never even considered that they would ever die on the battlefield, especially with how tightly knit their fighting and bonds were.

"I couldn't break the orders given to me by Lord Xander Severa…if I had my way I would've willing sacrificed my own life for his," Laslow tried to console her, but the passive, defeatist response caused Selena to growl furiously.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! I WOULDN'T HAVE WANTED EITHER OF YOU TO DIE YOU IDIOT!" Selena barked angrily, gripping his shoulders, shaking him violently to try and get her point across. Frustrated, flustered, and out of ideas, Laslow sighed heavily before cupping her cheeks with his hands. Her infuriated face glared at Laslow, burning with rage and hatred. Laslow displayed sorrowful tears for their dear friend, slowly leaning in until his lips were gently being pressed against her own. Selena's rage and hate slowly subsided as she accepted the kind gesture, returning it with a loving passion. They stayed there next to the armory for some time, holding one another, talking about the good times, and their hopes for the remainder of the war.

"I won't let you die, I will protect you until the end," Selena said, smiling kindly as she gave Laslow one more affection squeeze. All he could do was smile back, resting his head on her shoulder as their dramatic rendezvous came to a close.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to cheer up her depressed sister, Camilla quietly sang as she went up the spiral stairs to Elise's room. Giving the door several playful knocks, she awaited confirmation to allow her in. However, after a fit of another 5 knocks Camilla instantly could tell something was wrong. She carefully opened the door, looking on in surprise when she found no one there. She looked around, in her closet, heck in her messy clothes covered bed. It was then that she came across a note, written in very elegant and beautiful hand writing.

"Dear Family, I know I'm doing the exact opposite of what I'm supposed to, but I have gone to find our dear, exiled brother. I know deep in my heart that he is not a traitor to Nohr, and I wish to find him. Don't worry though, Arthur and Effie are with me so there's no way anything will happen to me. I don't think ill of any of you, by doing this; I'm just trying to reunite the whole family, because I can't bear for one of us to be separated from the rest. If I am branded a traitor for leaving the castle, then so be it, but just know that I still love and respect all of you from the bottom of my heart. With love, Elise." Camilla slowly took all of the words in, keeping her usual, calm demeanor as she read it to herself quietly. With a hefty sigh she folded up the intricate note and put it in the chest of her armor, shaking her head slowly as she smiled.

"My, my, what am I going to do with all of these troublesome siblings of mine?" Camilla smirked as she left the room. Undoubtedly she'd need to confront Leo and Xander about this, but believed it was best not to alert their father just yet. Heavy clomping could be heard echoing down the opposite side of the castle, hastily trouncing towards the throne room in which Xander and Leo were discussing their next actions. Camilla came to a stop and waited just outside the door, taking in some of the small talk between Leo and Xander as they left the room. They immediately noticed her leaning against the wall, closing the doors behind them before turning to her.

"Is there something you need sister?" Xander inquired. Sure enough, Camilla reached into her chest and revealed the finally made note, handing it to Xander and Leo to read. Leo put his hand over his face while Xander's face grew more infuriated with every word. To no surprise for Camilla, Xander crushed it in his hand after reading it, dropping it to the ground without hesitation.

"Camilla, you're responsible for fixing this. Not a word is to be said to father, so be quick in your recovery. Understood?" Xander did all he could to keep his fury in check. Camilla simple smiled and gave him a small bow before immediately leaving their presence.

"First he betrays his family and his country, now he's secretly provoking such treachery in my little sister? I won't forgive Corrin for betraying us all, but I will kill him if so much as one hair is missing off of Elise's head!" Xander growled, trying to keep his voice down. Leo gave him a firm grip on his shoulder, getting his attention.

"Camilla will handle it brother, we need to focus on war plans for our next battle. I have faith in her that she will return our little sister safely," Leo said, causing Xander to sigh heavily.

"It looks like I have much to learn too," Xander smirked with Leo before they headed towards their war room. Camilla began to hum her favorite lullaby that she used to sing to both Elise and Corrin, using its whimsical melody to calm her own nerves as she headed to the wyvern stable.

"It will be nice to be reunited with Corrin once more, I just hope he decides to come quietly, because I would hate to have to disable him before doing so," she said with a strange smile as she fixed her hair in the reflection of her ax's blade. After that she went into her stable where her lovely wyvern companion was at rest. Going about her normal routine, she serenaded it awake with her voice as she gave it some love and affection as well as some food to get him motivated. She then rubbed both of her hands over its cheeks affectionately.

"Let's go get my brother and sister back so we can be one big happy family again," Camilla said in a doting cute voice before stepping around and hopping on its back. It let out a confirming howl before throwing out its wings and taking to the sky.

"Brother, I have some news from Sakura!" Hinoka shouted as she barged into the throne room of the Hoshidan palace. Ryoma was talking over plans with Yukimora about what they would need to do to push back Nohrian forces enough to set up routing tactics when his sister's boyish voice shook the air.

"Hinoka, just in time, I'm talking with King Ryoma about an important tactical ploy for the next battle," Yukimora called in, waving her over. Ryoma quickly prioritized his sister's frantic voice over his important meeting as Hinoka ran over.

"Sakura…she said she saw Corrin over by the fort! She said that he was pretending to be a mercenary and was able to rescue Takumi from an ambush of Nohrian forces!" Hinoka shouted, unable to control the volume of her voice as she gasped for air.

"What non-sense is that Hinoka? Are you trying to tell us that traitor saved Lord Takumi?" Yukimora scowled as a confident smile graced her face. She looked over at Ryoma and gave a nod of excitement as she finally caught her breath.

"Not only that, Takumi confirmed that he killed the retainers that belonged to one of the Nohrian princes as well. I told you he wasn't a traitor!" Hinoka smiled, her energy now overflowing from the good news. Ryoma held up his hand, signaling for Hinoka to calm down and lower her voice. She sighed in embarrassment, calming her frame as Ryoma put on a small smile.

"Takumi was the most furious of us over Corrin's betrayal, and even he is saying that Corrin performed heroically for his safety?" Ryoma looked astonished; Takumi was always the hardest to convince of anything about anything. Hearing that he was the one to confirm Corrin's actions meant that there had to be some good left in Corrin after all.

"Correct. He even said he couldn't believe it himself. However, Corrin fled after helping Takumi escape, taking off like the wind north of the camp. Sakura dispatched Takumi to search for him," Hinoka replied. Ryoma couldn't help but let his guard down for a moment, wanting to believe everything she was saying contrary to his own suspicions.

"If this is true, we can not allow Takumi to go alone on Sakura's mission. Hinoka, I want you to find our troublesome brothers and make sure they are safe, OK?" Ryoma said with a relieving sigh as Hinoka's face lit up happily,

"I'm on it!" Hinoka shouted before running off. Every inch of her body was filled with joy in hearing that her beloved brother truly was still on their side. Thinking back to the description Sakura gave her, she immediately took note of that one hooded soldier that fought against them. However, she especially remembered how he had saved her, regardless of fighting for the opposition. This only further convinced her that he was still the brother that she wanted to get to know and love even more.

Corrin found himself shrouded in darkness as he walked along an invisible ground. Looking around, it was alike a desert of night, with no candles or lanterns to be seen at all.

"Where am I?" he thought as he walked within the void. Suddenly, monsters began to emerge from the darkness, coming into clear view as he spun around. Surrounded on all sides, Corrin gripped his hand onto Yato's handle, ready to fight off the strange invasion. One of the smaller ones emerged, immediately lunging for Corrin from the ground. Corrin quickly lost his balance, slamming his back to the ground as he held up Yato in defense.

As the splashing sound of the Yato impaling the monster rung in his ears, the monster changed shape. Corrin stared in absolute horror when he found his beloved little sister Elise on the other end of his sword. Her eyes were wide with fear as she reached out for him, trying desperately to breathe and to have his company as tears drenched her face. Corrin's eyes filled with tears as he went to reach for her hand, but failed as she went limp with a deathly cough. Covering his mouth he slowly removed her from his sword, laying her out as he heard another monster approaching from his flank. With tears in his eyes he furiously slashed across its stomach, with its appearance changing as well. He grit his teeth and gasped with tears as it turned into his other, blood related sister, Sakura.

"W-Why…? W-What did…I do brother?" she whimpered, her tears dripping from her cold pale face as she fell back. She trembled and coughed in agony as she gripped onto her wound, failing to stay alive as she bled out.

"What the hell is this place?!" Corrin shouted, another, more fearsome creature swinging for his head. His anger grew as he ducked beneath the swing, immediately using all of his strength to chop off its arm. A ghastly, feminine scream stung his ears as the monster's shape changed to that of his dear sister Camilla. She stared with an intense sadness with a desperate smile of someone who had just lost everything.

"My…sweet Corrin…w-what have you done…!" Camilla cried out in agony as she held onto to the severed nub with her available hand. Corrin's eyes were glued open as his heart raced and his tears flooding onto the floor. He couldn't believe the things he was seeing, but, it felt real as live itself.

"Oh God! Camilla! I'm sorry! Please stay with me!" Corrin rushed over to her as she fell to the ground. He dropped to the ground, grasping her cheeks with his hands to try and shake her awake. She looked at him with wide eyes, but her signature, warm smile blessing him with its warmth.

"I…I do not…blame you my sweet Corrin…" Camilla whispered before losing all of her strength, now lying like a rag doll on the ground. Corrin began to yell as his heart stung as if being gripped and crushed by a strong hand.

"YOU DAMN MONSTERS!" Corrin screamed as another monster's teeth were about to tear into his head. He used all of his strength to swing for the head of the monster, slicing it clean off its shoulders with one stroke. He averted his eyes from the monster in fear of a transformation, but the severed head found itself rolling into his view. He ground his teeth hard enough to crack them as he looked at Hinoka's lifeless expression with tears already rolling down her dead pale cheeks. He let his blind rage run rampant, refusing to let his broken heart stop him as he then turned to dig his blade deeply into the shoulder of the next creature that went on the offense. This time it was a male's voice grunting in agony. He growled and shook his head, trying to shift the tears from his face as Takumi cried out, gripping the blade with his hand.

"I knew…you were traitor…" Takumi coughed, sliding off of his blade onto the ground. Corrin put his hands up to his head, shaking it vigorously as he cried.

"N-No! I'm not a traitor! I-I care about all of you!" Corrin cried as his violent tremors grew worse. His eyes grew blind with tears as he instinctively turned and swept the ground at the ground. The sharp, slicing noise of Yato cutting through solid skin and bone rang as a disgruntled yell fell to the floor.

"You care about nothing…but your own…selfish justice…YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ANY OF US!" Leo violently coughed, making the sound of spitting before groaning and sighing from bleeding to death.

"NO! NO! NO!" with a violent scream, Corrin reached out, his eyes shooting open as he saw the bright starry sky in front of him. He stared wildly at the moon, his eyes already developing tears as a gentle hand brushed his hair. His arms began to shake as he looked at them, finally realizing that it was all just an atrocious nightmare. He reached for the hand that was gently caressing his hair to find a very worried Mozu connected to it. Corrin could not hold back his tears any longer and turned to his side, now quietly weeping into Mozu's lap as she comforted him. Mozu allowed silence between them as Corrin tried to wipe away his tears and pull it together.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Mozu asked with concern. Corrin calmed a little bit as he moved his hand over his eyes, shielding them as he rolled onto his back.

"It was hell…" Corrin said, breathing heavily as if he had just run a mile. He still had an occasional twitch caused by his frivolous attempts to stop crying, causing Mozu to try and ease him with her words.

"There, there Corrin. It's OK, just try and calm down," Mozu said as she felt his forehead to make sure he wasn't running a fever. Corrin slowly rose from her lap, eventually sitting all the way up as he ducked his head to the ground.

"I swear…I will bring this bloody war to its knees…and I will have my families back again!" Corrin cursed at the air as he punched the ground as hard as he could. The sounds of shy feet making dusty steps walked away, then back towards him again. Looking up, he saw Mozu smiling nervously as she handed him a canteen of water she acquired from a stream not far away while he was asleep. Corrin sighed then smiled at her, taking it and taking several heavy gulps to calm himself down.

"You're precious to me too Mozu. So know that I'll be fighting just as hard for you as my own family," Corrin said, causing Mozu to smile back. This was far from the first nightmare that Corrin had since he left Lilith's care but it was certainly the most horrifying. It almost felt like an omen of what was to come, but he shook off that thought immediately. He knew that he'd have to endure yet another restless night, but through his horror, a dark determination was brewing to achieve his goals at all cost.

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Fiery Heart

"Alright, come at me again!" Corrin called out to Mozu, getting into his fighting stance once again. Mozu found herself at a loss of breath as she continued on with Corrin's orders. With a nervous cry Mozu immediately charged Corrin, swinging at him with the cutting edge of a naginata that they managed to find on their journey. Corrin smiled as he carefully evaded each swing, occasionally parrying her weapon aside to help her learn balance. The more tired she grew the more spastic and ineffective her swings became. With a final dodge, Corrin then held up his sword to stop her next week, grabbing the naginata by its wooden shaft past the blade.

"Not bad Mozu, that was much better than last time!" Corrin cheered, releasing the naginata. Mozu grew light headed from overexertion; as farm work as she had done and as much stamina as she had built up, learning to battle had proven to be way more strenuous that she thought. Plummeting onto her rear continued to huff and puff, laying her weapon at her side as she stared up at the clear sky.

"How do…you…do this everyday Corrin?" Mozu sighed, now focusing her attention onto Corrin's approving expression. Corrin smirked, walking over to her then plopping to her side without hesitation. Mozu wrapped her arms around her knees nervously as Corrin gave her a gentle pat on the back.

"Believe it or not, after a tough battle I get just as exhausted as you. The key difference between you and me is I know how to distribute my strength and tensions with every swing and thrust of my sword. Once you learn how to control your muscles with your moments, the amount of energy you use will be cut in half. I will say this though, you're a heck of a lot stronger than you look," Corrin sighed and smiled as he averted his eyes to the sky as well. Mozu couldn't help but blush from embarrassment as she turned her eyes to the ground.

"You have to have strong arms if you work on a farm. Every single one of those fields back in my village were tilled and plowed by me. Much like you can control your muscles efficiently in battle, I can do the same plowing through fields. Thanks to that I can understand what you mean," Mozu's breath finally returned to her as she joined Corrin in admiring the beautiful weather they had been blessed with today.

"All of your hard work on your farm lands is proving to be a great help when coming to teaching you all of the weapon play I know. My knowledge only extends to the use of the sword, but I figured that the principles couldn't be too much different. Before you know it, you'll be a full fledged fighter like me," Corrin affectionately nudged his arm against Mozu's, snapping her attention to him immediately. Mozu smiled nervously as she leaned over and pecked Corrin on the cheek, blushing as flinched from surprise.

"In our village, that's one of the ways we like to say thank you when someone goes out of their way to assist one another," Mozu's lips formed a warm grin, causing Corrin to blush lightly with a smile as well.

"I'm glad I can be of service to you just as you have been to me. Thank you. Our break is over, are you ready for mo…" Corrin's authorities were cut short by the groaning sounds of a grumpy stomach, which hadn't been feed for nearly half a day's time. One flaw in Corrin's training was the fact that he would keep going, even if it met ignoring his bodies own needs. Mozu couldn't help but to giggle softly at Corrin's rude tummy as she rose to her feet. Corrin fell onto his back, stretching out as he and the sky stared at one another once more.

"I hope everyone's alright. I'm sure Leo is very upset…his pride as a tactician was everything to him and I just shoved his mistakes back in his face…at least Sakura, Hinoka and Takumi all looked like they were in great health, I just hope Elise and Camilla are as well. I already know Ryoma and Xander are still in tip top shape, neither of them would ever let sadness interrupt their course of actions. I guess all I really need to worry about are Mozu and I. I still can't believe how strong she is; she lost everything she had ever known, loved, and had yet she was able to move on with almost no effort. I guess that really does make me the weakest link huh…" Corrin's monologue gave him more than enough to think about, so much in fact that he didn't even noticed Mozu waving a sizeable hunk of bread in his face.

"I hate to say it, but this is all we have left. I can go and try to hunt some other things if you would like," Mozu smirked as Corrin shook off his deep thoughts, removing the bread from her head and quickly taking a satisfying bite out it.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Now that we are out of supplies as well, we're going to have to find some work. The way that I've been getting by is that I've been submitting myself as a mercenary to various bands and troupes. That way I don't feel like I'm standing idly by as this war continues to rage on. But now that you're with me, I refuse to let anything happen to you, Corrin sighed, admiring Mozu's ability to go with the flow with all of the information he was unloading on her. She smiled and shook her head, quickly seizing the bread from Corrin's hand and taking a bite of it herself.

"Continue teaching me how to fight; I want to be able to make a difference just like you do Corrin. I know that I could stay on the side and use what I learned on the farm to make a difference, but I don't want what happened to my village to happen ever again. So please, keep teaching me so that I can battle at your side," Corrin noticed a dimly lit fire in her eyes, slowly growing as her determination continued to rise. It was like looking in a mirror when he was told that he could finally join his family on the battlefield. Mozu tossed the bred onto the Corrin's stomach before retrieving her naginata from the ground. As confident as Mozu came off, she was still scared for her life on the inside, however, as long Corrin was being strong for her, she knew that she would undoubtedly grow stronger to do the same for him. Corrin smiled, devouring the rest of the bread before immediately hopping onto his feet.

"Then I will do my best make sure that you will never be bested in battle again; come at me!" Corrin ordered as the fire in Mozu's eyes began to burn brilliantly with her first swing. Since their time to train was quite short, every waking minute of the day was spent resting and fighting. Once she was comfortable enough with her swings and thrusts, he began to teach her the various advantages to having such a long weapon. The harder Corrin would push, the harder Mozu would push back, showing her true determination to becoming strong enough to defend those that she cared about and loved.

The following day, Mozu and Corrin finally came to town, which was the number one way to get scouted out as a mercenary. Corrin continued to keep his hood over his head, continuing to shield his eyes as he and Mozu stuck close to one another. Mozu's eyes filled with amazement as she took in the sights and sounds of the small town; having been a farm girl her whole life, getting to shop in or even just being in a town was the equivalent of being at a festival for her. Corrin couldn't help but to smile at her cheerful gaze as she smiled and spun around to look at everything.

Mozu blushed in embarrassment when she finally noticed Corrin staring and laughing at her, causing her to cool her attitude a little bit and to keep with him as they entered a quaint little tavern by appearance. Proceeding in, to Corrin's surprise, it wasn't too gloomy; the tenants looked like fairly happy people instead of the typical dross and down trodden folks that typically loitered in such a places. The bartender was smiling and conversing with each of the tenants sitting at the bar, with none of them being too inebriated. In short, it looked like good times were to be had. Corrin sighed and smirked as he led Mozu over to a table at the back corner of the room. Corrin moved the chair out for Mozu to sit, pushing her into the table as he walked across and plopped on his own.

"Most mercenaries that get scouted out typically sit in the corner of taverns. I learned that fact when I was with a traveling mercenary band for awhile," Corrin explained, resting his arms on the table. Mozu was at a complete loss for words; here she was in the midst of everything that was foreign to her with Corrin being the only guide to any light. She shook her head, imagining how she would've ended up had she not gone with the Corrin after the slaughter of her village. Corrin caught a glimpse of her arms and hands shaking on the table, a sign that she was nervous or fearful that he had picked up on while traveling with her. He gently placed both of his hands over top of hers, causing her to slowly relax and sigh softly.

"It's OK Mozu, remember, I'm right here with you," Corrin smiled, his face still half hidden by his hood. Mozu smiled and nod as she placed one of her hands on top of his in retort.

"And I am right here with you too," Mozu's grin could melt even the coldest of hearts with its charm. That was one of Corrin's most favorite things about Mozu. He almost felt like a monster knowing that he was going to subject someone as kind and caring as Mozu to battle, but he knew in his heart that she was ready to lay down her life for him, just as he was for her. Sure enough, Corrin's eyes caught sight of a small group of men that looked like they had seen their fair share of battles. He quickly noticed that they were all peering around side to side, obviously showing signs of looking for something.

"Just act natural; if they are looking for mercenaries they'll come to us," Corrin whispered, dropping his smile down into a neutral expression as he saw them slowly approach. The one in the middle was the only that truly stuck out of the four that were looking. He had wild black hair with white bangs, his clothes looked quite tattered and had been stitched more than just a few times in his life and a hardened face that had seen some serious combat. One of the others stayed back while the ruffian stepped passed Mozu, putting his arm on the table to look Corrin dead in the face.

"You must be a mercenary; I can smell the blood and death coming off from you as clearly as a pile of manure. My name is Shura, the guys over there and I am looking to recruit some people to do a job. Listen, me and the guy recently lost our families during a military raid orchestrated by the Nohrian army. We were all out on an assignment to steal supplies from a Nohrian base undetected but we had no idea that they had sent troops to assault them. We abandoned the mission and by the time we got back, everything was in flames. Their families, their lives, everything was destroyed. I'm just a traveler who happened to be hired as a mercenary to help them steal the supplies, but it even my heart was broken at the sight,"

"I'm terribly sorry to hear of their loss, but tell me, what would you need our services for?" Corrin grimaced. His face had grown cold from the traumatic story that was being unwound before him. He wasn't sure if this guy was lying or not, but considering his own skill, he wouldn't have to worry about this group turning on them.

"The bastard who led those troops is no more than 2 miles north of here. He has about 50 men with him, mostly made up of cavalry and fighters. They even say he takes direct orders from the king of Nohr for the operation," Shura explained. Mozu looked across the table at poor Corrin, whose fists were now balled up to tightly he could feel his nails digging into his palms and his teeth clenched so tight that she could hear them scraping from across the table.

"Hans…there's no one else that could possibly be…that monster!" Corrin growled catching Shura by surprised. Thinking quickly, Mozu immediately clasped both of her hands around Corrin's infuriated fist, doing what little bit she could to try and ease him down. Corrin's eyes turned to Mozu's, which were smiling kindly as she slowly shook her head. Corrin sighed heavily, his body relieving itself of its tension. Shura coughed, clearing his gruff throat before returning his attention to Corrin.

"As I was saying…all we gotta do is kill him and his troops out and we can reap the spoils of war, which I heard is quite a bit of money's worth of goodies. Are you two in or out?" Shura grinned, finally getting a grip on Corrin to help with his ploy. Corrin sighed heavily looking at Mozu before turning his attention Shura.

"Let me handle the ranking officer, he'll be too strong for all of you. Mozu, make sure you stick by me, if you get lost on the field, stick by whatever friendly troops you can find OK? And Shura, I'd suggest that any archers that you have take flank positions that can catch people at the brim of their camp. The rest of them need to stick close to me. Does that sit well with you Shura?" Corrin went into full strategist mode, just as his brother Leo would in a situation like this. Shura put on a wide and gave Corrin a firm, friendly pat on the back before heading back to his people.

"We'll be waiting outside, let's take em' out!" Shura slammed his fist on the table before walking out and away. Corrin looked at his hands; they were shaking angrily with light traces of blood escaping the places where his own nail cut into him. Mozu quickly removed a few cloths that she kept with her in her tattered overcoat and carefully wrapped up his hands.

"I can't honestly say I'm confident enough in my abilities to do this…but I know that I can rely on you to help me. Let's do our best!" Mozu triumphed yet again at lifting Corrin's spirit. Upon standing up, he gave Mozu's hand a sweet little squeeze before helping her out of her seat. As she reached for her naginata, Corrin then smirked and gave her a soft peck on her cheek, much like she had done earlier to him. Her face lightly grew red as she smiled at him, grabbing her naginata and leaving out the door by his side.

Counting off there were exactly 10 of them including himself, Mozu and Shura. Fortunately these odds weren't exactly impossible, but the probability of a successful mission was still fairly slim. The few miles that they were forced into hiking led them deep into the woods, using its brush as a veil to prepare their ambush. Following Corrin's instructions, Shura took 3 of the 10 mercenaries with him to set up archer positions while the rest followed behind Corrin and Mozu, slowly moving down the small incline that led to the very edge of the woods. Corrin signaled for everyone to hold as he slowly crept out from their cover, analyzing the field carefully for any potential threats on point. His eyes glared as they secured his suspicions. His eyes locked onto Hans, who was sitting in the middle of the camp, barking orders at everyone like a slave driver. Corrin eased back into the brush, meeting back up with the others.

"We're going to have to move along the edge of the camp until we are at their rear. Since the clearing is lead into by a road, that's we're they'll be stationing the bulk of their defenses. Shura and his crew are the signal; when they are in position, Shura is going to shooting a very brightly panted arrow that will stick out in the sky. That will be our chance to move in. Be sure to approach as quickly, but quietly as possible, that way Shura and his crew can keep them distracted. Mozu, stick close to me OK?" Corrin said, waving Mozu over to him. Mozu pushed her way through the other soldiers until she was stooped down right next Corrin. All of them kept their eyes to the sky, waiting impatiently for their signal to arrive. Every second felt like a minute as they waited; all of them were sweating from anticipation, their hearts were pounding rapidly and their bodies shook with adrenaline.

The whistling sound of the arrow finally went off as they saw the signal flying through the air like a swallow, immediately catching the attention of the camps troops. Corrin signaled to the remaining members of his squad, waving them on as he broke into a sprint. Everyone else followed after, all of them withdrawing their swords, axes and lances as they met with the rear point. Corrin immediately came up behind the first visible infantry, slashing harshly into his back to drop him to the ground. He urged on all of the rest, all of them now going to into a battle cry as that stabbed and slashed their way through a dozen soldiers, unaware of their deathly fate. Trying her best to keep up, Mozu finally made it to the camp, now keeping at Corrin's side as he charged. Yells and grunts of agony filled the air as the small ambush team slaughtered the Nohrian soldiers one by one. As Corrin slashed through two more, Mozu noticed that there were still a few more that were hiding. Mozu came to a complete stop as they went to jump out to chase. Mozu stared them down and nervous sighed, gripping onto her naginata for dear life as they approached.

"Keep them at blade's length; don't forget to use its reach to my advantage…GOT IT!" Mozu psyched herself up as the first soldier swung with his sword drawn. Mozu immediately knocked it away, causing him to stumble to the side. She then cried out as she spun the naginata, slashing into the soldiers legs with a sharp slashing scream. Mozu's eyes filled with determination as she went blow to blow with the second, purposely attacking his weapon instead the soldier himself.

"Side to side, focus on the base, strike at the arms…NOW!" Mozu cried, using her farm arm strength to strike at the base of the enemies' blade, leaving an opening for her to slash at his arms. He cried out in agony, slightly scaring Mozu as she then stabbed her naginata through his chest. She stared at the two downed soldiers, trembling in fear at the realization that she had just slain two enemies. She knew this would happen, but there was nothing to prepare her for the real thing.

"It's either them or Corrin and I; I can't let this get to me!" Mozu shouted stabbing down into the one disabled at the legs to finish him off. She immediately turned about face and charged her naginata out and ready to strike. She desperately searched for Corrin as she hopped and skipped over fallen bodies, only two out of fifteen being her allies. She made sure not to get too invested in the other soldiers so that this wouldn't affect her. She continued looking around sporadically, trying to evade enemy soldiers at all costs. A sudden pain entered her side as a sudden force dug into her skin. She cried out in pain, now realizing that an arrow was lodged in her side

"GAH! That really really hurts!" Mozu cried out, losing her balance while attempting to pull it out. Not paying attention to her front, she accidentally plowed into somebody, her body falling back as if he had just hit a wall. The soldier turned around, a sick and twisted grin upon his face as he whirled around his massive axe.

"Look it here, fresh meat!" Hans cackled bringing down his axe with all of his strength. Mozu immediately rolled away, screaming in pain as she snapped the arrow from its tip, desperately trying to scramble to her feet so she could out run the big lug. He continued chopping the ground as if she were a vegetable; trying to slice her up to serve as a meal. She finally managed to use her naginata to rise up to her feet, but she now faced the blade of his axe with a terrorized stare. Mozu screamed with fright as she immediately brought up her naginata to guard, her eyes widening in a horrible surprise as Han's axe cut clean through it, narrowly missing her neck. With no weapon and no where to run, Mozu's eyes filled with tears as she began to tremble with fear.

"SOMEONE HELP ME! CORRIN! HELP ME!" Mozu screamed at the top of her lungs as she went to run past him at top speed. He immediately spun his massive body, chucking his axe as hard as he could in her direction. Mozu's tears flew through the air as she tried to run, the arrow tip digging into her side with each movement. The pain hurt to the point to where she couldn't take another step. She turned her head, her eyes now staring death in the face as the large blade approached at massive velocity. She closed her eyes in fear as she gripped her hands together, trembling as she awaited her doom.

"Corrin…I'm…sorry…" she said quietly, her tears drenching her face as the vicious axe was inches away. Sudden, as if it were hit by a gun shot, the axe deflected off course and into the dirt with a loud thud, where it lodged itself deeply into the ground. Mozu covered her mouth and began crying tears of joy when she noticed Yato pop into the air, landing in the dirt next to the massive axe. Corrin immediately ran to her front, covering her from anything further.

"Are you OK?" Corrin's voice was in a panic as he looked at her; blood stains covered parts of her clothing, her side being particularly bad with her face glistening with moisture from her tears that she had shed. Mozu immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, pushing her face into his back as she sobbed.

"Thank God…" Corrin said with relief as Hans picked up another axe from the ground. Hans gazed in surprise as he found himself laughing at the touching display.

"Well, look who it is. The traitorous prince himself; so what's all this? You siding with Hoshido you piece of trash?" Hans snickered as he began to charge. Corrin's eyes lit up with rage as the devil of a man made his charge. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Mozu, who was now smiling in relief.

"Mozu stay back, and please, don't be alarmed by what you are about to see. It will scare you, but know that it is still me" Corrin said, gripping Mozu's hands and removing them from his waist. He ran towards Hans as he made his charge, jumping into the air as his dragonstone activated. Within moments, Corrin's body shifted into that of a dragon, landing back down and continuing his charge with an unearthly howl.

"WHAT, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Hans yelled as he looked at the dragon with intense fear. He went to swing at Corrin when he was within range, but was easily avoided then tripped up by Corrin's tail. Corrin immediately grabbed Hans by the throat, his talons slowly crushing his neck by the moment. Corrin only grew more enraged as Hans began to beg for his life.

"May the God's forgive you, because I will not!" Corrin roared, using all of the strength of his claw to crush Hans's throat. Upon releasing Hans, he noticed that Hans could still move, only barely able to so much as slide along the ground. Corrin narrowed his eyes as he dug his claws into his chest, causing Hans to cough up immense amounts of blood from his mouth.

"Stop it Corrin! He's dead!" Mozu cried, seeing that Hans had already gone limp by the time that Corrin was ready to rip him to shreds. Corrin immediately threw Hans off to the side, transforming back into his normal self in an instant. He turned and caught Mozu who ran into his arms, grunting with every step from the arrow's tip still digging into her.

"I'm sorry Mozu…I didn't mean to go overboard…" Corrin sighed, brushing through Mozu's hair as she continued to sob. Suddenly, loud footsteps and yelling could be heard from behind him. He turned to see an enemy soldier raising an axe, ready to swing down upon Mozu without hesitation. Corrin immediately turned around to protect her from safety, only to hear the soldier grunt and cry out in pain before keeling over. Corrin turned back to see a glowing arrow sticking out of the soldiers neck. Corrin immediately followed the line of sight to see a familiar cocky face smirking at him.

"I guess that makes us even," Takumi laughed, approaching Corrin and the injured Mozu.

"Takumi?! How did you find me?" Corrin asked, forgetting that his cloak had been torn off near the beginning of the battle. Takumi rolled his eyes and gave Corrin's shoulder a smack from the back of his hand.

"I heard that terrifying roar from that dragon form of yours echoing for quite a distance. Oboro! Give me a hand here!" Takumi called, the stylish, smiling girl who he had saved the other day came running along, stopping at Takumi's side.

"Look at the blood being drained from her side, I think it's an arrow wound. Can you please get her to safety?" Corrin asked desperately as Mozu lost her footing. Her world began to spin in circles as her side continued to hurt uncontrollably. Oboro gave him a nod, immediately propping Mozu up on her shoulder. She handed her naginata to her to use as a crutch as they turned from the direction they came from.

"What's with the girl? I never took you for the mousey girl type," Takumi asked, ready to roast Corrin at any given moment. It was sort of like a brotherly love type ordeal, except Takumi was pretending to play the part of the older sibling.

"It's a long story…what are you doing here?" Corrin knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth but this was more curiosity than anything else.

"Sakura ordered me and Oboro to come find you after I saw you at the camp a couple of days ago. I have to say you're pretty good at covering ground when you want to," Takumi sighed, seeing Corrin's face grow pale.

"Do you mind helping us finish up? There shouldn't be much left. Oh and grab Yato for me, it should be by the giant fire," Corrin asked as he covered his mouth; his stomach was quickly growing ill from the sight of Hans's mangled body bleeding out on the dry grass patch.

"I'm on it; it's the least I can do since you did the same for me." Takumi said, giving Corrin an brotherly pat on his back before taking the field. Once alone, he dropped to his hand and knees, covering his mouth and clenching his eyes shut as his legs gave out. Since he hadn't turned into a dragon for a while, his body was prepared for the extensive amount of time used. Mozu's scream came echoing from the distance, signaling that some medical work was being done as he stood there. He immediately rushed off towards the two ladies, wanting to make sure that Mozu wasn't going to die on him as a result of her wound. By the time he had arrived, Mozu's waist was already wrapped up with medical cloth and her body was now resting peacefully.

"Don't worry, she's perfectly fine. The tip of an arrow got lodged in her side but I gave her a drug to calm her while I pried it out. I gotta say this girl is pretty tough. So…are you two a thing or something?" Oboro snickered as Corrin's face lightly blushed.

"What is with you and Takumi about this?" Corrin groaned, receiving an affectionate pat on the back from Oboro.

"Well you're Lord Takumi's brother aren't ya? Of course he'd invest his interest in your business if a girl is involved. I'm merely asking out of curiosity, well, since I'm a girl I guess," Oboro giggled as Corrin's face warmed up from the interrogation. He sighed then smiled at the resting Mozu, gently sweeping the hair from her face to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"She's an incredible girl, I'll tell you that much," Corrin said as he watched the battle subside. Although she was injured, both he and Mozu made it out alive on their first battle together. He was thinking about how he could rebuild his group, just as he had planned with Gunter and Azura back in Lilith's castle. He hated to see such horrors befall others, but as long as he gave his everything, he could keep everyone safe, just like his mother had done for him. He knew that there was still a long road ahead, and that tragedy could strike at any moment.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Royal Rumble

"Um excuse me Mr. Bartender, have you seen a young man about this tall with silver hair and red eyes come through here?" Elise inquired. It took quite a while for Elise, Effie, and Arthur to cover ground from the fact that Elise only had enough money for a single horse. Trudging across the land, the trio had run into countless towns and aftermaths of skirmishes that seemed to point in a general direction. Elise insisted that they check every single town since Corrin was a fairly easy person to pick out from a crowd. The bartender shrugged as he continued cleaning a glass.

"That's quite the description young lady, the only person I've seen that comes close to that description came in with a young lady. He did have red-ish eyes that he tried to hide under a hood and was carrying a strange, elegant golden sword at his side. I hope that helps," the bartender held the glass in the light to make sure that it was flawless as Elise stepped out of the tavern.

"Hey! I think we have a lead!" Elise cheered hopping up and down with excitement. Arthur and Effie simply smiled regardless of the fact that they'd traveled well out of their way to come upon this town. Even Effie, as strong as she was, was forced to put her top armor on the horse so that she could keep up the pace with Elise and Arthur.

"That's wonderful! It seems that our journey is finally starting to bare fruit!" Arthur proclaimed, showing signs of victory as Effie shook her head.

"I guess there's only one direction he could've gone, so let's head that way," Effie groaned, devouring one of the loaves of bread that they had bought from a baker within the town. Effie helped Elise back onto her horse with ease, allowing them to head on. One thing that the three of them all enjoyed was the beautiful scenery and the sense of freedom that they could embrace. Compared to the castle, all of this was like something they'd all seen in a dream. Elise noticed a group of about five soldiers after another two miles of travel. They all wore roughed up clothes with crude stitching and mismatching garments to accompany each piece. It was clear they were vagabonds or even mercenaries. Elise stopped, signaling for Effie and Arthur to stand between her and the miscreants that lined the path.

"Um excuse me…have any of you seen a young man with wild silver, red eyes and carrying a gold sword with him?" Elise had her recited lines down packed at this point, only changing minor portions of the question the more she had learned. Shura looked up from his bow that he was re-stringing with a gruff and ragged gaze; he remembered Corrin saying something about people looking for him, but sadly Shura couldn't remember the rest.

"That depends on who is asking," Shura grumbled, returning his sight to his bow. Elise sighed at the rude behavior but continued to keep a steady head towards the questioning.

"I am Princess Elise, the youngest daughter of King Garon. The young man's name is Corrin, and he's…well he's my older brother. So I'm searching for him to make sure he's doing well," Arthur and Effie turned to Elise to try and express that she needed to keep that detail under wraps. The whole point of her outfit was to hide the fact that she was a princess, but alas, Elise was too much of an honest child to keep up such a façade. All of the soldiers laughed in her face in disbelief, Shura shrugging his shoulders at her freshly displayed disgruntled expression. He hushed up the others, knowing that she could quite possibly be speaking the truth. After all, Shura was incredibly talented at reading people and figuring if they were lying or not.

"Yeah, we've met him. He helped us in massacring a Nohrian outpost that had slaughtered our families and pillaged our village," Shura bluntly put, causing Elise to cover her mouth in disbelief. Her beloved older brother would never needlessly take anyone's life, especially not Nohrian troops that were off their guard. She shook off the detail, remembering that did indeed said that Corrin helped avenge their village.

"Could you tell us the direction he was headed in afterwards?" Elise's interrogation became more intense with each question, her face more and more determined to drag out the truth. Shura scratched his scruffy hair, laying his bow in his lap.

"After the skirmish, he parted down the road. He's currently traveling with two females and a male; the females are both pole arm fighters and the man is an incredible archer. I believe he said something about them being some kind of royalty. I have a few words of advice for you girly…he is very dangerous and the company he keeps is very protective. Be cautious when approaching them," Shura sighed, popping his neck as he returned his attention to his bow once more.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that helps!" Elise applauded the information, immediately turning back onto the road. Knowing that her loving brother couldn't be too far away, she immediately gave her horse a whip of its reigns, causing it to speed off at full speed. Arthur and Effie growled as they immediately charged after Elise, her wild, ambitious nature getting the best of her. She desperately swayed her sight from side to side as the wind blew her hood off of her head and against her back. She lowered her body down to have less wind resistance as she gave the horse another little jab from her feet against its sides to speed up. Sure enough, after what seemed another two miles, a group of individuals came into her narrowed sight, giving her a big smile on her face.

"Very good Mozu, you're picking up on this quite quickly," Oboro praised her new pupil in learning the art of the naginata. Oboro's teaching methods started off with the classic monkey see monkey do situation as opposed to Corrin's tactical teaching. Oboro explained how using a naginata is more than just swinging and dodging, it was all about a steady flow of movement when performing their strikes; almost as if they were dancing, Mozu mirrored Oboro's movements to the best of her abilities. Corrin sat off to the side with a smile on his face as he watched the fascinating lesson. He'd never seen or heard of a fighting style that utilized choreographed patterns efficiently in battle, but after seeing Oboro fight in the previous skirmish after tending to Mozu, he was certainly a believer.

"She really is putting her all into it, isn't she?" Corrin said as he watched Mozu's performance. She wasn't very elegant and found herself stumbling around quite a bit, but no matter how many times she'd lose balance, she would get right back on her feet to try it again. Oboro was a VERY patient teacher to his surprise considering Takumi informed him that she could have a short temper. I guess training another female doesn't quite cause flare ups as much as males do. A sudden rumbling of a horses hooves clacking along the ground approached the group with incredible speed. Seeing that Mozu and Oboro were training in the middle of the path, they immediately stopped their practice and stood off to the side. Corrin's eyes stared in disbelief as he noticed the familiar, unique funnels of hair that was blowing in the wind.

"Is that…Elise?" Corrin said in confusion as she grew closer from the horizon. In no time at all, the charging horse came into perfect view, quickly grinding its hooves into the ground to come to a screeching halt. Without any hesitation, Elise immediately hopped of the horse, stumbling on to her feet before her eyes caught clear sight of Corrin's.

"Ah! There you are Corrin!" Elise cheered. With a fit of laughter and skip in her step, Elise immediately charged her beloved big brother with haste, almost tackling him to the ground as she latched herself around his waist like a vice grip. Corrin was at a loss of words as both Oboro and Mozu stared at the two of them suspiciously.

"Elise?! What on earth are you doing here?!" Corrin asked, prompting Elise to rise up her gaze to look him in the eyes. She smiled wide as she let go, backing up just enough to look over his whole body.

"I came to find you silly! I've been so worried about you that I couldn't even sleep or eat well! I'm so glad you're OK!" Elise said as her grin somehow managed to widen further. Her face grew lightly red, unable to resist the urge to run up and hug him once more. Corrin sighed softly with a smile, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm glad to see you too Elise. But how were you able to leave the castle so easily? Surely the rest of our siblings would never approve of this," Corrin said, only slightly dampening her spirit. She took a few steps back, holding her hands behind her back nervously as she averted eye contact to the ground.

"Well um…I convinced Effie and Arthur to escort me out of the castle to try and find you. We had to leave by night so we wouldn't be spotted. I just…I couldn't sit by as you wandered on…I was so scared something might've happened to you, and I missed you so much that my heart ached every night. So, that's why I came to find you and here I am!" Elise smiled contently as dusty foot steps came from the direction in which she haled from. Elise and Arthur were both in a sprint, trying to catch their handful of a Lord before she did something she'd regret.

"Hey Corrin, I was able to get a few rabbit and even a boar, we'll definitely be eating we…Corrin, what are you doing!?" Takumi stopped mid-sentence, immediately recognizing the Nohrian princess that was so shyly speaking with him. Combine that with the unnerving sight of her retainers closing in; Takumi's paranoia was now in full bloom as he dropped his spoils of the hunt.

"Takumi don't do anything. They are not a threat, nor did I call them here. Just…try to keep your calm…" Corrin knew that convincing Takumi of anything he was against was just as hard as teaching a horse about arithmetic. Takumi whirled Fujin Yumi off of his shoulder, immediately aiming it at Elise without hesitation. Corrin immediately stepped in front of her, guarding her with his arms open.

"Takumi! Stop! She's not here as a Nohrian princess, she is here because she is a loving, caring sister of mine," Corrin sighed, Takumi's expression still cold and angry as he drew back on Fujin Yumi.

"Your sister? She's not even related to you by blood! How could you be so foolish! Even now you continue to believe those Nohrians' lies?! She is not your sister, she is a silver tongued devil!" Takumi barked, his eye narrowing down the arrow line of sight. Corrin clenched his teeth, refusing to move an inch as Takumi aimed at Corrin's head.

"Move. Or die. It's your choice, brother," Takumi's moved lowered in tone as he cautiously awaited Corrin's response. Dusty foot steps approached at incredible speeds, whizzing past Takumi and stopping in front of Corrin. Mozu glared Takumi down as he flinched with hesitation.

"As his brother, you should believe in what he says! You said it yourself that he saved your life, why would he go through the trouble of lying to you to have you point where you'd shoot him anyway?!" Mozu cried, causing Takumi to sigh as he stiffened his jaw. Corrin smiled down at Mozu, rustling her hair playfully before gently pushing her to the side. He lowered his arms and continued to walk forward until the tip of the arrow was mere centimeters away from his forehead

"Will you hear her out, please?" Corrin said his tension matching Takumi's as they glared into each others eyes. Takumi then closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he dropped his aim. He kept his bow faced to the ground as he grumbled in Corrin's face.

"Fine. But if this ends up endangering mine or any of the others' lives, I won't hesitate to kill you," Takumi growled as Corrin removed himself so that Elise could look at him eye to eye. Upon backing up, Mozu immediately took guard in front of Corrin with her naginata at the ready. Elise slowly approached him, causing him to tense up once more with each and every step she took.

"Um…I'm…sorry if I've upset you. It must be horrible to have to humor a princess that had already threatened the lives of so many of your people on the battlefield, but you have to believe me when I say that I came to be with Corrin on my own accord. My father, King Garon has stopped at nothing to make my loving Corrin's life a living hell, and I can't take it anymore! Just know, Prince Takumi, that by coming here today, I will more than likely be declared a traitor, just as Corrin was when he refused to take a side." Elise's words rang with such power that even Takumi had a hard time denying his feelings on the matter. Taking a moment to process her words, he moved his hand over his eyes and sighed in discontent.

"I find it hard to believe that you would literally travel such a distance which not only puts your royalty status at risk, but just to be at my brother's side, especially since you know that the two of you are not related at all. Tell me…what is your purpose for being here?" Takumi said, narrowing his hunter like eyes down on her. To his surprise she didn't even budge an inch as she glared back with concern. She couldn't help but to make a nervous swallow before tightening up her body.

"I am here to stay by his side and help him in anyway that I can. I'm not just here for him that will go for all of you as well, because I know that all of you are very important to my big brother. That is my purpose Prince Takumi," Arthur could be seen in the back shedding a manly tear of joy, being joined with a very proud smile from Effie; it was like watching their own little girl grow up. Impressed as well, Corrin moved out from behind Mozu so he could give her a loving pat on her head. Takumi sighed and slung Fujin Yumi over his shoulder with an awkward smile being pointed at Elise.

"You sound just like my own little sister. I can tell the truth in your voice because it's just like hers. I would be honored if you would accompany us, Princess Elise. Someone with your healing and magic capabilities will prove to be a real asset for us," Takumi offered out his hand in agreement, but it was smacked aside to be replaced with a hug from Elise instead. Takumi's face grew flushed as the awkward display of affection took its toll on his mind. He looked over at Corrin, wandering what to do but Corrin simply smirked then laughed at his situation. His eyes then shifted to Oboro, who was looking at the two of them with a loving admiration and a goofy smile. Elise winked up at him before letting him go.

"That's how we do it in our family!" Elise grinned, getting pats and congratulatory embraces from her loyal retainers. Takumi sighed then smiled; he learned that having someone that was only just a little more brazen than his own little sister could be quite the hassle. A shared laugh between them all was short lived as the ghastly cries of a wyvern howled from the air. Corrin and Elise knew that it could mean only one thing. Elise hid behind both Takumi and Corrin, who were now accompanied by the rest of the group, as the purple haired goddess of the battlefield descended to the ground. A dust cloud kicked up as the wyvern landed, the sounds of clanking grieve and shifting armor dismounting it carefully. She smiled at Corrin, her narrowed seductive eyes being as they always were as she approached. She gently ran her hand along her wyvern's neck and all the way to its head lovingly as her sights refused to leave Corrin's.

"My dear sweet Corrin, it has been some time since the last time we met…how are you? Have you been eating well? Are you in good health?" Camilla bombarded him with honest questions as she approached. Mozu moved from Corrin's side to his front while Oboro was taking her side in front of Takumi as she grew closer. Camilla paused, blinking a few times at the security detail she was confronted with.

"I'm fine sister, my health is good and I'm in good shape. Why are you here?" Corrin said as polite as he could without sounding submissive. Camilla's eye edged onto Mozu's which were now staring her down with both courage and fright. She shook only a bit as she raised her naginata at Camilla. Camilla grinned at the poor girl, gripping a hold of her naginata and easily tearing it from her hands. She pitched it behind her as Oboro immediately crossed her naginata over Mozu for protection. Camilla stopped in close proximity, leaning forward to get a good look at Mozu's face.

"My how cute. Why would such an adorable girl wish to protect my sweet Corrin? Could it be…love?" Camilla continued to smile warmly, causing Mozu to blush a bit with Corrin tensing up. Oboro edged the staff portion against Camilla, acting as a barricade against her. Camilla closed her eyes stepping back from the crew as Takumi put her in arrows reach.

"I apologize my sweet Corrin, I completely belittled your question didn't I. I have come to retrieve our naughty little sister and take her back to the castle. I might as well take you with me as well. Then we can be a family again, wouldn't you like that?" Camilla's temptress tone caused Takumi to grow angry, stepping next to Oboro to point his arrow directly at her.

"I suggest that you leave us to our own, or else I will taste your blood with Fujin Yumi!" Takumi growled, continuing to glare at the beautiful Nohrian princess. Her calm, seductive yet loving demeanor faded to a neutral sigh as she returned to her wyvern, revealing her axe while she used it as a mirror. She then held it to her side as she returned to them. Takumi took the initiative in firing a warning shot, the arrow digging into the dirt in front of her feet. Camilla sighed, turning her regretful gaze at Corrin and the hiding Elise that was right behind him.

"I was hoping that we could do this passively. But I'm not coming here because I wish to, not that I wouldn't come to the aid of any of my adorable siblings, but because I've been ordered to retrieve you at all costs. Now, please, would you both just come with me? Otherwise I can't guarantee the safety of any of your friends that you've made here," Camilla's voice shifted aggressively as she returned back towards her wyvern. Takumi took a shot at her wyvern with Fujin Yumi, but it was deflected by her large axe instead.

"I'll take that as a no…you poor things. My sweet Corrin, Elise my adorable sister, I apologize for what I'm about to do to all of you," Camilla said, her seductive tone finally dropping to that of a cold killer. She mounted her wyvern, glaring all of them down like a wild beast as she took to the air. Shortly after, another wyvern could be heard, approaching from the direction in which she came as she maintained altitude in the air. Beruka finally arrived with Selena, lowering down just enough so that Selena could land safely. She immediately drew her sword, pointing it at them with death in her eyes.

"I've been given orders to show no mercy, so prepare for the worst!" Selena shouted spinning her sword around anxiously as she waited on Camilla's signal. Beruka and Camilla lowered altitude to the point to where they were at Selena's sides. Takumi took aim once more as Oboro moved to his front. She quickly reached down, tossing Mozu her naginata before getting back into position.

"Just do as I taught you Mozu and you'll be just fine OK?" Oboro said with a smile, winking at her as she readied her own naginata. Mozu smiled with confidence as she emulated Oboro's stance, both of them now ready to throw down. Elise sighed and gazed at them with sadness in her eyes as she mounted her horse with Effie and Arthur at her sides.

"I won't back down Camilla! I'm going to stay with Corrin until this war ends!" Elise shouted, pointing her staff at her as if issuing a challenge. Camilla smiled, shaking her axe around a little to loosen up her muscles.

"Father would be proud of your resolve, if only it were from this end," Camilla woefully put as Effie and Arthur took the field at the sides of Oboro and Mozu. Takumi immediately fired an arrow right for Beruka, signaling the start of the battle with its howl. Beruka evaded with a sudden increase in elevation while Camilla sheathed her axe and withdrew a tome from a holster connected to her saddle. Both Camilla and Beruka began circling them as Selena called out at the group, provoking them.

"Beware of magic everyone! Elise, pull back with Takumi for range, Effie and Arthur you're protect the two of them at all costs! Oboro, Mozu, your with me. Let's go!" Corrin called out his orders, now approaching Selena with Oboro and Mozu at his sides.

Looking closer at Corrin, she remembered something that Laslow had told her on the day she found out that her dear friend Owain was slain. He described the killer as being the size of an average young man, having red eyes, and a peculiar golden sword that stuck out like a sore thumb. Selena quickly compared Laslow's description and compared it to Corrin's appearance which instantly filled Selena's eyes with the fires of hell itself.

"IT WAS YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE THAT KILLED OWAIN!" Selena screamed at Corrin, pointing him out with her blade as she charged recklessly at the three of them. Beruka noticed the reckless charge from Selena and shook her head, immediately swooping down. As Oboro was going to make her initial strike, Beruka charged in, knocking her naginata to the side so that Selena could dash past her to continue her charge.

"Just because you're in the air doesn't mean you can take me out so easily," Oboro smirked, immediately slashing at her wyvern. Beruka pulled on the reigns, causing a quick dodge from the wyvern before swooping around with a vicious swing. Oboro found the ground betraying her as she guarded against Beruka's series of swings; there were pot holes that were hidden by natural debris all over the walking path so upon guarding another one of Beruka's blows, one of them caught her heel, putting her into the dirt.

Meanwhile the sounds of exploding fire and slashing steel began to erupt as the rest of crew found them in a struggle. Whenever Elise would make her move to set up healing magic, Camilla immediately bombed her area with fire, causing both Effie to guard for her and to make her horse go out of control to interrupt her spells each time. Elise scowled at the smiling Camilla, who was clearly playing games with her on the battlefield.

"QUIT TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD!" Elise yelled at Camilla as loudly as she could as Arthur helped Effie move to guard against another explosion. Camilla shook her head, licking her lips as she dropped her book in its holster and removed her axe once again. She immediately dove in, taking aim at Arthur as she spiraled downward. Arthur followed her with his eyes, clashing his axe against hers as she took a violent swing at him. He found himself astonished at her might as he flung his body to the ground, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration.

"My word! I never knew Lady Camilla was capable of such powerful swings!" Arthur said as he shook his stinging hand. Effie helped him back up onto his feet just in time to knock away another mighty swing from Camilla. This time, Camilla intentionally aimed for his axe, knocking it clear of his firm grip with the momentum from her wyvern's movements. Effie immediately rushed in front of Arthur, using her heavy shield to dampen the immensely strong swings that Camilla was producing.

"She's even pushing me back…not good…" Effie let out a grunt as she used all of her strength to push back each swing. Elise immediately pointed her rod at Camilla, attempting to catch her with an immobilizing spell. Camilla quickly noticed this, quickly gaining altitude to avoid its reach.

Mozu began crying out as she used her strength to guard and deflect the furious swings from Selena as she tried to claw through her to get to Corrin. Selena used her superior skill to make up for the reach disadvantage by moving around with grand speed that was becoming difficult for Mozu to handle.

"I won't let you through to Corrin!" Mozu cried as she spun around to deflect a strong swing, immediately using the weight of the naginata for momentum to make a follow up strike. Selena had enough, putting both hands on her sword to strike at the staff, causing the ground to shift beneath Mozu with the impact. Mozu lost grip of her naginata as shit hit the dirt with a thud.

"I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to cut that man into pieces until there are FAR TOO MANY PIECES TO COUNT!" Selena growled as she fell. Selena swung for Mozu's neck, forcing her into using her arms as a guard. Selena slashed deeply into Mozu's upper arm, causing her to shriek with pain. Deciding it was best to leave nothing to hold her back, Selena glared down at Mozu as she grabbed her naginata, trying to guard against Selena's strike with an injured arm. Selena yelled viciously and swung with all of her might, cleanly cutting the naginata in half, releasing a loud cracking noise before her blade caught one of Mozu's legs with its leaving. Mozu cried out again in agony as Selena planted her boot on Mozu's throat. Loud choking graced Selena's ears like a symphony as she raised her sword up for the final swing.

"I'm sorry for this, but I can't have you getting in my way!" Selena scream, raising her sword up, ready to stab right into Mozu's skull. Mozu gagged and cried at the top of her lungs, gripping the bladed half of the naginata. She shoved it up to Selena with all of her remaining strength, stabbing her in her stomach with its sharp end. Selena grew pale and felt a cold sweat cover her body as her stomach grew hot with pain. Selena cried out angrily as she stepped off of Mozu, freeing her from her clutches. Mozu painfully rose up, using her good leg to push her forward, shoulder checking Selena to the ground. Tears filled Mozu's eyes at the thought of Corrin being cut to pieces, causing her to lose control of her emotions. Mozu screamed in both pain and anger as she tripped onto Selena. She tore the naginata blade from her stomach, immediately stabbing it into her chest as hard as she could.

Beruka saw the horrifying display as she fended off another blow from Oboro, now trying her best to get a swing in at Mozu but she was powerfully deflected by Corrin, an intense pain filling his eyes. Mozu began crying loudly as she tore it out again, ready to finish her off for good. Corrin immediately yanked the naginata blade out of Mozu's hands, forcing her to stop her ruthless assault. She began to sob and cry, her body trembling from loss of blood from her arm and leg.

"ELISE I NEED HEALING OVER HERE! NOW!" Corrin yelled out, laying Mozu out carefully after guarding against another one of Beruka's blows. Beruka's swings grew more and more unstable as her eyes shifted to the now dying Selena bleeding out on the ground. Beruka turned once more to make another run, but was immediately thrown from her mount as it roared in pain. Crashing to the ground, Beruka noticed several glowing arrows lodged in her poor wyvern with Takumi now shifting his aim to her immediately. Elise finally arrived, immediately moving to Selena to try and keep her life out of fatal range. Takumi noticed this, immediately growling as he shot an arrow at Elise's weapon. Without fail, Effie trounced to Elise's side, guarding against the arrow. She immediately glared at Takumi, who shook his head in response.

"Princess Elise, what are you doing?! She's the enemy!" Takumi yelled in frustration as Beruka charged Elise on her flank. Arthur immediately moved to his point, clashing his axe with Beruka's in defense. Sighing heavily, Elise ignored the prickly prince's cry, now moving to heal Mozu as well. With attention taken and his guard down, Takumi was completely open to Camilla's attack.

"TAKUMI LOOK OUT!" Corrin yelled, doing everything he could to warn the oblivious prince as Camilla dove in. Before Takumi had a chance to turn and fire, Camilla's axe dug into Takumi's side, causing a grunt of intense pain. Camilla immediately made a u-turn, this time slashing violently behind Takumi's knee, nearly severing it as he hit the dirt. Takumi coughed up blood as he cried out; rising up on one knee so that he could raise his bow once more. Oboro's eyes filled with horror as she watched Takumi's violent slashes, immediately charging as fast as she could after seeing Camilla making a final turn.

"I WON'T LET YOU CLAIM HIS LIFE!" Oboro screamed at Camilla as she charged as fast as she could. With Camilla swooping in for the kill, Oboro desperately threw her naginata as hard as she could like a javelin. She smiled in surprise as she saw it dig into Camilla's leg, causing her to be thrown off course. Camilla's eyes filled with death as she shifted her sight onto Oboro, who was now defenseless. Camilla ripped the naginata from her leg, shouting out in pain as she dove in as fast as she could. Hitting the dirt, Oboro allowed Corrin to cover the opening, clashing and pushing Camilla off of her.

Suddenly, Selena's consciousness returned to her, Elise's healing magic being far more powerful than she could've imagined. Although still injured, she still refused to admit defeat. She growled and moved onto her hands and knees, sneaking beneath Elise's horse to grab a hold of Arthur's legs, immobilizing him. Going to dodge and block another blow, Arthur felt as if his legs were stuck in cement, allowing Beruka to land a devastating blow to Arthur's right arm, nearly cutting it clean off. I gruffly cried out as blood followed Beruka's killer axe, whirling it around one last time to cut into his chest, dropping him to the ground. Effie turned to see the terrifying turn of events, immediately turning to stab her spear into Selena's spine over and over, finally putting her into the dirt for good.

"O-Owain…I…I'm comin' to see ya…" Selena gasped before her body went limp like a rag doll. Beruka planted her axe into Arthur's back after he hit the dirt, causing a deathly gargle to leave his mouth, trembling from blood loss and agony. Before Effie had a chance to maneuver around Elise, Beruka swung and took one of the horses legs clean off which caused Elise to be thrown off into the dirt behind it.

With one final charge, Beruka swung her axe with all her might at the fallen Elise, only to meet with Effie's spear piercing through the middle of her chest. Refusing to let her assassin title be compromised, Beruka did everything in her power to avoid showing weakness as she grabbed onto Effie's spear, pulling it further into to her to give her enough reach to swing cleanly at Elise. Her eyes sudden shot open with her expression going limp as several arrows dug into her side and neck, finishing her off. Elise immediately pulled out her staff, crying her eyes out as she did everything she could to try and heal her beloved retainer.

"Y-you are a hero of j-justice! You can't die here! You just can't!" Elise cried as Beruka's body crumpled to the ground by her side. Arthur's arm began to shake, gently grasping onto Elise's to stop her healing.

"It is of…no use lady Elise…it seems that my luck has finally run out…but do not be sad…I can think of no better way for me to part from this world…because I was able to protect you, just like a hero…should…" Arthur let out a final, bloody cough before his strength left him, causing his face hit the dirt as he grew silent and still.

"How could I let this happen…my loving retainers…I'm sorry, Beruka, Salena, I have failed you as your lord…" Camilla sulked as she put her axe away, returning her tome to her hand. Knowing now how Leo felt after returning from his battle, her eyes grew wild as she immediately targeted Takumi, who had taken aim back at her. His sight grew blurry as his blood oozed into the grass, using every inch of his strength to make sure his next shot counted. Oboro noticed Camilla's tome glowing, forming a circle on ground around Takumi as he tried to take his shot. Corrin noticed as well, causing him to catch up with Oboro as she broke into a sprint.

"THIS IS FOR MY BELOVED RETAINERS!" Camilla yelled, finishing the spell. Only being feet away from her lord, Oboro tried with all of her might to try and push him out of harms way, but fell short from taking her dive too soon. Takumi finally released his shot as the spell exploded, pegging Camilla's wyvern in the dead center of its forehead. Takumi turned his gaze to Corrin and Oboro as he bled; his clothes were now all singed from the fiery inferno, his bow now lying at his side, smoking from its frame and his wounds causing noiseless gasps of tormenting infliction.

"BROTHER!" Corrin shrieked as Oboro's eyes stared in complete disbelief, as if it were unreal. She became completely blinded with melancholic water that now crawled down her face at the sight of her lord. Camilla's body hit the ground, forming a crater around her with her heavy armor. Corrin managed to catch Takumi as he lifelessly fell backwards off of his knees. Takumi turned his eyes to Corrin, showing his disgust and discontent for his brother's actions.

"This…is what happens when you…show mercy to…your foes…I guess I was destined to die by your betrayal…I was hoping with…all of my heart that it was…the right thing to do…but now it doesn't matter…take care of the rest…of our siblings Corrin. That's the only…thing I want from you…if you can do that…I'll forgive you…" Takumi coughed as cried as blood began to stain Corrin's arms. He then turned to Oboro who was now clenching onto his hands, desperately holding onto him for dear life.

"I failed you! I failed you! I FAILED YOU! I'M SO SORRY I FAILED YOU MY LORD! I'M SORRY LORD TAKUMI!" Oboro screamed before pressing her lips to his hand, revealing feelings that she had kept hidden from him.

"Do not…blame yourself…it was an honor to have you serve under me…do take care of my brother…as awful a thing as he has done…his heart is still just…live on Oboro…live on…" Takumi said, faintly smiling at Oboro before his last breath left his lips. As the tears and crying began to fly, Camilla approached everyone, dropping both her tome and her axe to the ground before reaching Corrin. She couldn't help but to let several tears trickle down her face as she fell to one knee, lowering her head shamefully.

"I surrender…do with me what you will…" Camilla said openly, dropping any guard she might've been on. Oboro growled loudly, grabbing her naginata from the ground as her eyes filled with an undying flame of revenge. She made her way to Camilla and Corrin as Elise took the field in an attempt to prevent any further tragedy. Elise immediately casted freeze on Oboro, forcing her legs to stay in place. Oboro cried out like a beast as she struggled with all of her might against the restraining spell, finally giving up after a few minutes. Gazing at the horrid aftermath of such gruesome fighting, Corrin had no more words that he could say. His eyes merely watered gripping onto his sister's arms as they collided with the dirt, one after another.

"I-I don't know what to do…help me…I need help…anything will do, I just can't take anymore!" Corrin choked, looking in her eyes with both hatred and longing. Takumi's death felt so unreal, especially how it had finished him up. He had learned that there were no winners in war, and that hate only breeds more hate, but talk was cheap and feelings are real. He began punching the ground with his fist repeatedly, shouting out his faults and his fatal mistakes in bursts of rage with each strike. A pair of dainty, familiar arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind; the familiar smell of wheat and sweat gently made its way into his nose as the shivering yet warm embrace kept him together.

"It's not your fault Corrin…it's all this awful war's faults…don't feel like you caused any of this, because you didn't…" Mozu said, gripping onto him harder. Back a ways, the sounds of a grieving Elise could be heard, being muffled by the strong, cold body that had protected her from the worst. All around them was the smell and aura of death; its unshakable grasp had yet again caused Corrin's heart to be tested, this time being ripped in two. Corrin now knew that he couldn't do this forever and that he needed to find his answers quickly before any other lives that he held dear would be snuffed from existence.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Snapped Hearts

(Warning: This chapter contains graphic sexual content. Reader's discretion is advised for those who aren't comfortable with this kind of thing)

As a result of the death's that now littered the field, Corrin could no longer feel any more pain as a martyr, as was ready to give up on sympathies. After having his breakdown with Camilla in hand, when she went to touch him, he immediately tore away; ready to shred her emotions to pieces.

"Do you see why Garon is a damn monster!? Do you see what this war is doing to everything in this world!? Because of this pointless skirmish, we have three very important DEAD retainers, a Prince, MY BROTHER is now DEAD and last but not least, one of the retainers, one of YOUR retainers, TRIED TO KILL OUR VERY OWN SISTER WHEN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO JUST RETRIEVE HER! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! All for what Camilla…blindly obeying orders, believing in a hollow cause, and believing that I, who you know well enough to know that I would never harm anything unless my hand was forced, should be killed for being 'a traitor'? I know damn well you're smarter than that Camilla, SO WHY?!" Corrin snapped as a result of being forced to bury the dead in such a crude and unimportant fashion.

This was the first time in Corrin's life where he could no longer control the thoughts and feelings that surged throughout his soul. Camilla could help but sink down to her knees, staring in a fright at her beloved sibling's fury that was like a wild fire out of control.

"I…I just wanted us to be…a family again…I was so worried about Elise that I immediately left without even considering what repercussions could happen. I'm so sorry Corrin…I have failed you as an older sister…" Camilla said, staring at the ground shamefully. She was scared to disobey her own father with the pain of possible death being loomed over her head. She knew that if she returned empty handed that she, Leo and Xander would be forced to tell their father their dear sister is now to be branded a traitor. Corrin's heart refused to waver as he shook his head.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too Camilla, there are others here that suffered WAY worse than I have from this! I know that I am at fault as well, but you have permanently scared the heart and souls of these men and women to the point to where they may never recover! If you love me like you say you do, tell all of the others to their face how sorry you truly are. After that, renounce Garon and join us so we can fix this damn war!" Corrin yelled, causing all of the remaining members of their troupe to stay at a safe distance. Corrin turned his back to Camilla, causing her to immediately run after him, throwing her arms around his waist as she buried her face into his upper back. He yanked from her immediately and gazed at Elise as she watched with pained eyes at Oboro, who now had Fujin Yumi draped around her and who was now sobbing overtop of Takumi's grave. She created mud with her tears, slamming her fists beside the grave as a sign that she blamed herself for all of the horrible things that had happened to those she loved.

Oboro stopped as the sound of shuffling footsteps, the clanking of armor, and a tall shadow casted themselves upon the ground. With her eyes red and her cheeks flooded with tears, she rose to her feet, meeting with a sorrowful Camilla in her face. Without hesitation, Oboro raised her hand to Camilla, immediately striking Camilla across her face with all of her strength.

"I don't want to hear a word from you…you took away one of my main reasons for living and the person I cared about more than anything in this world you monster and you did it without remorse! If it wasn't for my Lord's final words and Lord Corrin, I would have stabbed you to death until there was nothing left but a heap of flesh and armor! So spare me your hollow pity and confide elsewhere…" Oboro growled with her terrifying expression that she was known for casting its glare on Camilla. Shame filled her heart as she immediately turned away, knowing that saying anything at this point would only cause more suffering. Corrin was sorrowful as well as he turned his presence to Elise and Effie, who were both recovering from the awful event.

"I am sorry, Elise, Effie…if it wasn't for me being too sympathetic to those who wished for us to meet our end, Arthur would still be standing at your side. I'm sorry that I failed you as an older sibling Elise, I hope you can forgive me," Corrin lowered his head then kneeled to Elise and Effie; his heart felt as if it were being clenched by a demon, killing his tearful emotions and making them harder than steel. Elise's dainty, glove covered hand reached out, ruffling his wild as if she were in the mood to play around. He looked up at her; only a few tears were to be seen as she put on her cheerful, loving smile that never failed to brighten up his spirit.

"Your over caring heart is one of the things I love the most about you big brother. I know that Arthur would believe as well that you were doing the right thing, even if he knew it would cost him his life. Don't lose heart, because Elise and our loving big sister will be by your side from now on. Besides you're way more awesome when you smile!" Elise wiped her tears away and gave Corrin a big hug as he rose back up. He couldn't but to at least crack a half smile as he returned the hug, resting his hand on her head.

"Thank you, Elise. Thank you for keeping my spirit bright, I could never hope to have a better little sister than you," Corrin said as Camilla came to join the two of them. Mozu could be found accompanying Oboro at Takumi's grave, he presence somehow calming Oboro as she gazed on at the pile of dirt.

"I know there's nothing I can say to fix what hurt ya' so bad, but just know that I share your pain. When Corrin found me in my village…everyone, including my mother, father and two brothers, were all pointlessly slaughtered by those faceless monsters. Were it not for Corrin, I wouldn't be here stooping next to you," Mozu said, placing her hand next to Oboro's as she paid her respects to Takumi. Oboro looked over at her in shock; how could such a horrible thing happen and not affect her as it would herself.

"How did you move on so quickly? I know I would never be able to do that…" Oboro inquired. Mozu turned to Oboro and smiled kindly, deeply gazing into her eyes.

"Because I don't let the dead hinder my life. Those who died that care about us don't want us to end up like them; they want us to enjoy our life and to live for ourselves, if not for them. I wasn't an exception to mourning my family, but I do have the will to fight on. For me, I also have someone I wish to protect with all of my heart, which I know is how you felt for your Lord. Let's help each other stay strong for those we care about, what do you say to that?" Mozu sighed heavily then smiled, seeing a reflection of her tragedies. Oboro wiped her eyes a final time, doing her best to smile back before returning her gaze to his grave. She placed her hand in the dirt where his mouth would be, kissing upon the top of it as a symbol of love for her Lord. She too released a heavy sigh before standing, following Mozu to the rest of the troupe.

"It is woeful that some of our dearest friends are now deceased, but we can't let this break our spirit like it had nearly broken mine. I know I haven't done the best job assembling and fulfilling the mission I wish to fight for so hard, but I'll be damned if I let a travesty like this happen again! With that being said, now that both Camilla and Elise have both abandoned the castle, we're to expect major retaliation as a response. Oboro, is Lord Ryoma located at the castle fort nearest by, or is that out of your knowledge?" Corrin asked, praying that she could give a viable answer.

"As of this moment yes, however, it is only a short stay. He's here to give orders of defense incase of a Nohrian invasion because they don't want the results to end up like those near the beginning of the war. However, that is not a suggested course of action as of yet. We would merely start a conflict with so much as our presence there considering the company we are keeping as of this moment." Oboro replied as she glared at Camilla. Corrin covered his mouth with his hand, putting himself into a mild state of torpor.

"I guess that only leaves for us to find more allies considering we have already lost so many…we're going to have to resort being mercenaries for a bit. I know that sounds a little extreme, but on my journeys, that's how I met Takumi, Oboro, Sakura and Hinoka. Oboro, Takumi spoke of your impeccable talent for working with clothes, is that correct?" Corrin's mind began to zip ideas around, slowly narrowing it down a straight path. Oboro grinned at him and gave herself a pat on the soldier.

"You bet! I'm the greatest in all of Hoshido. Why do you ask?" Oboro said, a nice boost of confidence really hit the spot for helping her mood.

"I'm going to need for you and Mozu to go into town and get a lot of materials to make cloaks. Camilla, Elise and I can not afford to be seen in public as we are, so I need you to sew up several thick cloaks that can cover us completely for the most part. Are you up for it?" Corrin's excitement for finding Oboro useful in this situation froze as Oboro's face grew quite perplexed at the idea. She looked over Camilla, stripping her down with her eyes like a professional before smiling.

"You're going to have to ditch that armor princess if this is going to work. You're far too…shapely to wear a cloak and that armor efficiently. Since Effie, Mozu, and I aren't royalty, we don't need them so I just need enough for 3 people. The only problem is finding a town with good supplies and having the money to get it all," Oboro sighed, snickering at Camilla's problematic silhouette as she backed up to analyze everyone. Camilla sighed, knowing she was at everyone's mercy as she went off to the side to begin removing the protruding bits of her armor. Corrin and Elise popped out two sacks of gold and handed them to Oboro, giving her more than enough for the job. As for location, they were all completely stumped until Corrin heard the shouts of a familiar voice.

"If you're looking for a town with supplies, you'll find one heading east from here. There are two parts to the town; once used for military purposes and the other for everyone else. My men and I can show you the way if you want!" Shura shouted, slowly heading in their direction, everyone aside from Mozu and Corrin stared in confusion at the straggler that looked as if he were homeless.

"That would be incredible Shura. But wait…how long have you been listening in on us?" Corrin inquired. Shura simply smirked and bumped his fist up against Corrin's chest as he locked eyes with Camilla.

"Ever since that gorgeous woman over there was screamed at by you, that's how long. No idea what you were shouting about, but your voice traveled a bit. You must've been absolutely furious," Shura gave Corrin a brotherly pat on the back before whistling for the rest of his band to come on. Effie covered the rear, Oboro and Mozu covered the sides and Corrin protected the lead as they traveled on behind Shura. The hike was rather arduous with ups and downs of the terrain easily wearing down the party of travelers.

Once the town was in view, a strange rustling came from the sides of the forest area that closed into the path that lead in. Everyone paused to listen as the sounds began to circle them, as if the wind were playing tricks on them. Oboro clenched her teeth together as she recognized the pattern, there was no doubt; they were not alone. A small object whistled from the trees, allowing Oboro to follow its trajectory. With a sudden shout, she was able to deflect it before it had the chance to taste Elise's blood.

"Lady Elise! Quickly get off your mount and hide between Mozu and I!" Oboro quickly ordered as another whistling projectile once again went for Elise, this time being avoided as she jumped off onto the ground.

"Why are you protecting a dreaded princess of Nohr, Oboro? Especially after what happen to our Lord Takumi just yesterday," Oboro immediately picked out the voice as it hopped from over head to their right flank, where Mozu nervously stood guard.

"It was my Lord's orders to accompany this troupe until we can end this dreaded war. Who sent you Saizo?" Oboro shouted, leaving everyone else in a state of confusion. Bursting from a cloud of leaves and dirt, Saizo appeared before them, dagger in hand and glaring them down like a vicious dog.

"That's none of your concern now that you've betrayed your homeland to join with these…scum. Not only did our young prince die under your protection, you are now guarding one of the ones that were directly responsible for his death. Your decisions that you have made are beyond rational comprehension Oboro. So now I will have to take all of your lives for Hoshido!" Saizo growled behind his mask, immediately vanishing from sight. Everyone got into a circular guard formation as all the trees around them began to sway and stir.

"Why can't we have peace between us Saizo? Why must we kill one another? Haven't we all shed enough blood?" Corrin shouted at the wind, quickly deflecting another whistling projectile. Shura began firing arrows one after another, following the sounds of the rustling trees with each shot. A dagger flew from the trees, digging itself into Shura's arm with a growl of pain to follow. A barrage of daggers and shurikens followed after, all of them aimed from overhead downward. One after another, daggers and shurikens dug into most of the members of the troupe, causing shouts of pain and agony to bounce of the trees. Effie went on guard to protect Elise, pushing off all the dagger and shurikens with ease as Elise coward behind her.

"Slippery bastard ain't ya'? Well it takes more then some knives to stop my shots!" Shura used is trained hunter's eyes, following the patterns of movement until finding his opening. Saizo found his balance waver as an arrow managed to catch his leg, causing him to grunt. He immediately tore it out, dropping it from the trees as he attempted to keep moving. Now that his mobile was slightly damaged, Shura was able to pick him off of the trees no problem. Firing another arrow, a growl of pain became audible as Saizo fell from the tree and onto his feet, now ripping the other arrow that hit him from his arm. He ran towards Shura, immediately vanishing before his very eyes. Looking around, he heard the crude slashing sounds of blades cleaving flesh as his friends that he had been traveling with cried out in agony.

"Damn it!" Shura shouted, running to the flank of the party. Upon reaching the rear, laid before him were the 4 men that were left after their last raid, each one of them with their vital points slashed open. Saizo attempted to breach the rear of the party, but Effie continually shut down his attempts with her mighty defense. Shura made two shots, one after another that caught Saizo in his other arm, as well as his side. Shura growled at him, readying his next arrow.

"Impressive…I never expected such a marksman to be in your company. Unfortunately I must withdraw for now, I'm performing mere reconnaissance, but I will leave you with this bit of advice…sleep with one eye open…" Saizo's ominous words rang as he vanished into thin air. Corrin took a deep breath, sighing in relief to know that everyone only sustained minor injuries as a result of the confrontation. Removing all of the various projectiles from their bodies one by one, everyone compiled them together, knowing that they could be sold for tender. Finally, they were able to make it into the city without being in a bunch of pieces.

"We'll have to be staying over night if you expect me to get all of this done as quickly as I can. I suggest you all find an inn while Shura leads me to a place I can purchase fabric," Oboro suggested as she followed Shura's lead with haste. There wasn't much time to rest in this town, not without running risk of turning it into a warzone. Upon arriving at the inn, they found that each bedroom only housed one bed each, which meant they'd all have to split up into twos, unless specified otherwise. The day went by fast to their surprise. No longer than being there for an hour, Oboro had already fished out all the supplies she needed and immediately went to work upon entering the inn.

"Don't worry about getting a room for Shura and I, we're going to be up all night sewing and being on guard," Oboro let Corrin know so that he could arrange things much more easily. Knowing that it wouldn't be proper to allow a female to lay with him, the rooms were split up more appropriately. Camilla and Elise would share a room, while Effie and Mozu would share a room, which left Corrin to rest alone.

Aside from Oboro's and Shura's bantering, the inn was completely silent. Everyone was curled up in their surprisingly comfy beds, no stirring, no rustling and no other voices to be heard. Corrin lay barely awake as he stared out the window that his room had the privilege of having. The thoughts of everything finally began to take a break due to the peaceful silence that ran throughout. His eyes soon grew as heavy as armor, slowly closing down with only minimum resistance. The sound and feeling of something falling onto his bed stirred him back awake. He slowly rolled over, coming face to face with Mozu as she smiled, her face blushing like a strawberry. He went to form words but was quieted with her lips passionately being pressed to his. Had it not been for the fact that he was incredibly relaxed; his response would be much more active. She removed her lips as she straddled overtop of him, shyly gazing into his eyes.

"Mozu? What's going on…?" Corrin asked. He could feel Mozu's body heat up as she leaned forward to lie on his chest. He rested his hand on her head, gently lacing his fingers through her brown locks.

"I-I-I'm sorry…I shouldn't have barged in like this…but I got scared…" Mozu's stuttering words came off as a strange form of cute as Corrin gazed into her eyes with confusion.

"What do you mean? What's the matter?" Corrin said lazily, his eyes barely able to stay open as hers relaxed over top of his. He felt her trembling gently as if she were cold, yet her body was clearly as hot as a furnace.

"I had a nightmare...you and I was in a field, relaxing on the grass as we talked about the future for us. It felt so real, my emotions were so real, and you admitted that you loved me and that you never wanted me to leave your side. I was crying I was so happy…then you suddenly grew ill, coughing and clenching your chest as if you were hurting badly inside. It wasn't long before you finally stopped moving, calling my name as your eyes closed and your body went limp. That's when I woke up. I learned that I am in love with you Corrin…I love you more than anything in this world…I never truly saw it until this dream made it so obvious. I…understand if you don't feel the same about me…I mean I'm nothing special, just a farm girl from a no name town that doesn't exist. Surely you could d…" Mozu eyes widened in surprise as Corrin's hands reached behind her head, moving her lips to his without a second thought.

Although he was barely awake, his body began to heat up as well, his thoughts following along with what she said. It now dawned on him too how much he did care for her and even had love for her, so he openly accepted this moment without a single word. A soft moan was shared between them as tears of joy began to roll down her face with her brow now sweating from excitement. She continued as their lips parted once more, his sleepy red eyes now gazing into hers.

"We will never know when this war will take a turn for the worst, but with every single battle, I've found myself fearing that I will lose you forever…I know this sounds so sudden and stupid…I mean, we've barely known each other long enough to even be this close to one another, but I want to share my heart with you before it becomes too late…" Mozu said, trying to fight back her confused tears as she caressed his face were her rough, yet smooth hands. Corrin reached up to gently slide his thumb beneath her eye, wiping the tear away with a smile.

"I would love nothing more than you sharing your heart with me Mozu. I too know that we haven't known each other for hardly any time at all, but through our incidents in which we met, we share a strange and power bond that only a handful of people could begin to understand. I love you too Mozu, I don't know what I would do without you either," Corrin's eyes shimmered in the dim moonlight that eased in through his window. Mozu sat up and nervously removed her sleeping top, revealing her dainty, pale naked body to Corrin as a sign of confession. His face burned hot as she smiled at him, placing her hand on his already bare chest.

"You're beautiful Mozu. I'm blessed to have someone as wonderful as you sharing this with me tonight," Corrin said, entranced by her boldness as she moved up his body, resting her warm crotch against his own that was shrouded behind undergarments. She pressed her bare chest to his, tilting his chin up so she could smoosh her lips against his, slowly moving her crotch against his own. It was like a loving dance to them, making passionate moans and groans as they partook in each others taste. Neither one of them had any experience in this matter, but it was if their instincts had known each other for so long. Her loving brushes of her crotch to his accidentally shifted his undergarments down, allowing his shy erection to pulse up into her. They both blushed heavily in each other's eyes, both of them beginning to grow dizzy from their body heat.

"I want to give my heart and soul to you Mozu…within this short period of time you were able to teach me what true love really was; you supported me while I was down and you held onto me for dear life when I thought I was going to lose my way…will you be mine forever?" Corrin's words grew shaky as Mozu's bare snatch cupped his crotch. She began crying tears of joy as she lowered her face to his, holding it in her hands once more.

"Y-Yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you! Y-You have no idea how happy you've made me Corrin!" Mozu said passionately as she wept with joy, pressing her forehead to his. It was if they were in a dream, neither of them sure if this was truly real or not, but in sharing this dream, they wanted nothing more but each of them to be together forever.

The way Mozu's body felt against his; the warmth from her chest made his heart pound, the loving kisses from her lips made his body chill with wanting and her sweet smile and words making his whole life come together whenever he was lost. This was without a doubt, true love.

Corrin reached down nervously, staring in her eyes as his grew blood red from embarrassment. He gently clenched the base of his member with his fingers, his eyes refusing to leave hers as he positioned it. Mozu couldn't help but to tremble as she felt the tip of his member ease into her entrance. They both gazed at one another, preparing themselves for what was about to happen.

"…ready?" Corrin whispered softly, Mozu's forehead nudging up against his.

"I'm ready…" Mozu whispered back, seizing his lips with her own as her crotch swallowed Corrin's length whole. Mozu gasped painfully as she gripped onto to Corrin's shoulders, digging her nails into his skin with a pained expression on her face as she felt it throb deeply inside of her. He felt the pulsing as well, wondering if he had done something to hurt her.

"Are you OK Mozu? Did I hurt you?" Corrin asked out of concern. He tried to lift her off of him but she shook free of his hands, allowing it to fill her once more.

"I-I'm fine…it just hurt a little...the feeling of how good it feels outweighs the pain. I've never done this before so try and be gentle with me OK?" Mozu whimpered, instinctively moving her hips a little. Corrin moaned with her physical gesture, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close.

"It's my first time too…so I'll try my best," Corrin gasped as they partook in each other lips. She began to slowly move upon it, moaning into his lips as they grew accustomed to their motions.

"I can't describe this feeling, but it's so intense and wonderful," Corrin thought to himself as he slid his hands down her sides, gripping them gently to help her move on him. After a bit, they lost themselves in each other. It was like an incredible merging of hearts that neither of them wanted to surrender as they continued to make love. All of their cries, whimpers and moans were like an endless loop of provoking more and more of this shared lust. Mozu clenched her arms around Corrin's head, kissing him harshly so that she could scream in his mouth as a pool of warmth left her system. It was like a trigger, causing Corrin to cry back just as loud as he expelled him cum deep inside Mozu. They both laid and trembled, passionately gasping and kissing one another as their fluids mixed with one another, slowly oozing from her crevice and down his length. They both let out their lack of breath, their sweat and tears smothered up against one another as they smiled lovingly in each others eyes.

"I'll never let you go…" Corrin said, keeping his arms around her. She rested the side of her head against his chest, nuzzling into it to get comfortable.

"And I will never let you go either," Mozu said affectionately as their bodies began to relax, slowly drifting asleep with the feeling of warm love acting as their blanket. On the opposite side of the wall, Camilla found herself smiling at the passionate sounds of her beloved sibling as he made love to the one that he wished for the most.

"My little Corrin is growing up, I'm so proud of him," she grinned as she removed her hands from Elise's ears. It was one thing that Camilla didn't want to explain, especially at such an awkward time. The morning came at an obnoxious pace, blinding everyone with the sun's rays due to the obnoxious placement of each room's window. Corrin awoke before Mozu, allowing him to tilt her head up to kiss her on her lips, which helped stir her awake without fail.

"Good morning," Corrin whispered. Mozu's hazy eyes failed to stay open as she smiled and placed her head against his chest once more.

"Good morning," she replied, refusing to move like a slugabed. While everyone dressed and made their way down to the bottom floor, Mozu and Corrin took forever shaking off the morning due to the past night. Giving each other little pecks against their lips, they then exited the door to meet up with everyone else. Everyone was surrounding both Oboro and Shura, who were both now passed out on the table that the innkeeper so kindly let them use. Sure enough, lying at her side, were 3 incredibly high quality cloaks that looked like they came right out of a royal closet. It was easy to pick out which cloak belonged to who, regardless of her actually taking anyone's measurements. Mozu smirked as she went up to Oboro, who was now drooling on the table from being in such a deep sleep. She then shook her on her back, slowly stirring her awake.

"Ah…oh…Good morning everyone…" Oboro said, wiping off her mouth and rubbing her eyes as she came to. Shura, on the other hand, wasn't in such a peaceful rest with a bottle of liquor sitting on the ground next to him. Corrin shook his head and rolled his eyes, giving Shura's leg a firm kick to wake him.

"WHA! WHO! Oh…mornin' everyone…" Shura jumped, immediately stretching out his limbs to start the day. For the first time so far, everyone was able to live a day without any casualties. As the three royals equipped they're quality cloaks, they all prayed that they could have another day where the death would stay away.

To Be Continued~


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Birth of the Coalition Honor Guard; Part 1

A day had gone by since their stay in the peaceful town that they desired so much for; rested, re-energized, and prepared for battle. Corrin came up with the idea that they should become their own group seeing they had some of the strongest soldiers in the land. Unable to agree on a name for such a grand endeavor, Corrin took the lead, giving them the title the Coalition Honor Guard. Each member of royalty was issued the others as their personal retainers as per Corrin's wishes. It wasn't so much a leader/subordinate relationship however, it was more a long the lines of a buddy system to keep everyone safe. The groups consisted of Corrin, Mozu, and Oboro; Elise and Effie; and Camilla &. Shura.

Every time Oboro's eyes found themselves wandering into Camilla's direction, she constantly took to heart Takumi's dying wish, trying her all to overcome this emotional obstacle that her love from a far desired of her. Although they had formed a small, yet formidable band of heroes, they didn't have any battles under their belts to prove their worth. Oboro couldn't help but to smirk as she watched Camilla trudge on by foot, breathing heavily as she hauled her large axe around on her back; not only was she royalty, but she was a wyvern rider, meaning she didn't normally have to hike long distances on foot. Even Effie was beginning to struggle, but only in the slightest as her strength training was being truly tested by the mile. Suddenly, Corrin held his hand up to the air, balling it into a fist to order the group to halt.

"Everyone, I hear a battle raging up ahead. This battle will mark the beginning of our revolution, and our first step towards ending this war. We need to approach with caution and get ready for a fight!" Corrin shouted, unsheathing Yato as he began to dash on the road. Everyone immediately followed suit, trying to keep up with their leader as he charged into battle.

"Finally some action! It took long enough!" Shura laughed, slinging his bow from his shoulder and into his hands.

"If it's for my sweet Corrin, I will leave no one left standing!" Camilla cried with a smile, snapping it out of its buttoned, leather restraint and into her strong grip.

"Lady Elise, I suggest that you stay close for safety," Effie said in a breathy tone, causing Elise to smile wide.

"Don't worry Effie, I'm more than capable of carrying my own weight!" Elise laughed as she flew by her on horseback, encouraging Effie to keep up.

"Mozu, do you remember the drills I taught you?" Oboro inquired, looking over at Mozu who was glowing with determination.

"Keep them at weapons reach, aim for their limbs, and then defeat them with grace! Mozu recited as her eyes looked at Corrin affectionately. Oboro smirked at the love birds before returning her attention forward. It wasn't long before the clashing of blades and cries of agony soared in the air into their direction. To their surprise, they found that they had reached a fort's wall, spanning in for quite a distance towards both the east and west. The various homes were battered and beaten throughout the battlefield, with the depressing sight of innocent people being slain.

"It looks like some sort of rebellion is going on…oh dear, my assumptions are correct. Do you see that wyvern rider my dear Corrin? That is Scarlet. She used to be one of the major knight guards over this fortress but was eventually cast aside because of father's ambitions. I had heard that she was forming a rebellion of sorts but I had no idea how far her plans had come along," Camilla observed, explaining each set platoon by pointing them out and filling Corrin in on important facts about their location and situation. Thankfully Camilla was a sort of general, which meant she had a firm understanding of battling and tactics as well as extensive knowledge of war time tides of change.

"I see…if they are rebelling against Garon, then I believe that is who we should stand by. Does anyone have any objections in joining the rebellion in this skirmish?" Corrin gave his coalition a diplomatic choice, to which most of them agreed to join the rebellion. Only Camilla found her hesitating to reply, still trying to shake her beliefs and loyalty that Nohr had instilled in her from birth. Corrin noticed this, walking back towards the rear to place his hand on the lost in thought Camilla. Her weary eyes looked up into his as he gave her a little shake, smiling back at her.

"Don't worry sister, we will do everything in our power to try and avoid as many important casualties as possible. If one of our brother's were to show, I would never try to strike them dead. Believe in me Camilla, can you do that?" Corrin said, causing Camilla's vague expression to form a smile.

"Anything for you Corrin dear, even if it means fighting against the land in which I dedicated my life to. I will follow you forever until death do us part," Camilla replied, giving Corrin the answered that he wanted to hear. As they cautiously approached the Hoshidan camp, Corrin quickly stopped the advance as he grew pale, finding Ryoma standing and speaking with Scarlet that had now landed onto solid ground. Corrin immediately halted their advance, trying to think of the best way to approach this scenario without a second full scale battle to take place.

"Not good…if Ryoma sees us we're going to be in deep trouble, especially with Camilla and Elise traveling with us. Everyone, pull down your hoods, it seems we won't be able to rally with the rebels in their camp. It'll be in our best interest to just join the battle on our own accord. Let's move out!" Corrin ordered, redirecting their course of action by heading into the center of the town. The townspeople could be found brandishing whatever they could find lying around as weapons to do their best to fend off the Nohrian guards.

Effie's sharp eyes noticed a woman with a knife in hand; her husband and two children were gravely injured behind her with wounds of her own being revealed on her arms upon closer inspection. As two Nohrian heavy knights moved in to take her life, Effie charged in at full speed, clashing her shield against one of them with her brute force. The other was quickly dropped to his knees as arrows flawlessly struck his vitals; one in each leg, one in the shoulder, then once he was knelt down, Shura finished him off by planting one in his neck, causing a deathly gargle to ring from their helm. With minimal effort, Effie was able to bash the knight's shield to the side, immediately thrusting her vicious lance into his chest, piercing his thick armor with her brute strength before dropping him to the ground.

"Thank you…thank you knight! You've saved my family's life!" The woman cried her hands in a prayer as she looked up at Effie with glimmering eyes. Effie turned and smiled, giving her a subtle nod of acknowledgment. The sounds of galloping horse hooves immediately followed with a ready Elise raising her healing rod to the rest of her family.

"Have no fear; the Coaltion Honor Guard is here!" Elise giggled as she proceeded to heal the woman's injured family. The number of heavy knights and cavalryman was proving to be quite the challenge for the infantry crew; being disadvantageous in both defenses and mobility made for a hellish setting to find them in. Corrin, Oboro and Mozu found themselves all standing back to back as they were surrounded by four cavalrymen. Corrin watched carefully as they slowed edged around them like vultures, ready to strike at any moment. The first one came in with a swinging axe, quickly being knocked away before cutting into the horse's legs. As the soldier hit the ground with a thud, Oboro turned and stabbed her spear as hard as she could into his stomach, keeping him pinned until he took his last breath.

Another swung a sword at the vulnerable Oboro, only to be clashed by Mozu's spear that she held as a blocking bar. Oboro removed the spear tip from the downed soldier, whirling it around to stab the soldier in his side, forcing him off his mount to cry out in agony. One of the cavalrymen's horses made a leap towards Oboro and Mozu, both of them immediately stabbing into the horse's chest. They both growled and groaned as they used all the strength they had to push back the thrashing horse, finally turning their spears to drop it to its side. The horse's soldier snuck around, going for a vicious swing against an unaware Oboro, only to have a large axe meet with this stomach before batting him off viciously.

Camilla moved in front of both Mozu and Oboro, fending off the last horseman so that they and Corrin could move on. Camilla guarded against the swing of a sword, her massive strength following up to cut deeply into his horse's neck. The moment that the soldier met with the ground, Camilla was already over top of him, swinging down into his chest without hesitation. Camilla suddenly felt a strong wave of guilt as her axe dug deeply into his chest, realizing that it was one of her own subordinates that she had once helped train. The soldier went to reach out for her, the syllables of her name being all that the soldier could speak before going limp. Camilla grasped a hold of his hand before his hit the ground, clenching it tightly as she closed her eyes.

"I am truly sorry, but this is the path that I have taken. As much as this battle may wound my heart, I have to keep going for my dear brother, no matter what," Camilla whispered to the corpse, dropping his hand and sighing before removing her axe and moving on. The more involved the group got, the more chaotic the battlefield became, swallowing up any poor civilian unfortunate enough to be outdoors.

Corrin, Oboro, and Mozu stayed in a tight formation as they made their way towards the castle's moat and bridges doing all they could to avoid mounted units that would cause further issues. Corrin took the front initiative while both Oboro and Mozu covered his flanks, disarming and dismounting anyone who dared to close in on them. Cheerful laughter and the plucking sounds of a bow string echoed from Shura as he had a field day with the enemy. One by one, arrow by arrow, he nailed the enemy's vitals with ease, only occasionally needing a second shot. He came to a screeching halt however as two heavy armor knights set up a barricade to his front, making it incredibly difficult to so much as hit the targets efficiently.

"Not good, I better take a different route…" Shura said, immediately turning around to another two armored knights smirking as he let loose a growl. He kept moving in circles, trying to keep his eye on all of them as they closed in. As they raised their weapons to start the slaughter, the roar of a wyvern rang from over head, with a soldier clad in red armor throwing a javelin that pierced through one of the knight's armor. Shura smirked up at the soldier, giving them thumbs up before dashing over the now fallen knight. When the armored battalion attempted to pursue, they were met with the fierce axe of a brutish woman that was hidden by a cloak. Camilla let loose laughter as she casually downed each of the knights, disarming their shields and taking off limbs before they could even approach her efficiently.

"Well you boys were quick to finish, how disappointing," Camilla smirked, playfully licking her lips before using her shoulder as a prop as she ran onward into the center of the Cheve living area with Shura not far behind her. Already at her point of arrival, Effie was single handedly taking down enemy after enemy; her speed and power was truly tested as she kept all enemies on guard with Elise helping to heal and pick up the slack.

"JUST STAY DOWN!" Effie yelled, thrusting her spear then removing it as he pieced through their body. She began to huff in exhaustion as she looked at Elise, who was doing absolutely everything in her power to stay helpful and safe. Two more swordsmen charged her at once, forcing to move into a defensive stance. Suddenly, the whistling sound of arrows came pouring over their position like rain, ready to strike down whoever was caught in its volley.

"Lady Elise! Get down!" Effie cried, the swordsmen knocking at her shield like a door. Elise's eyes grew fearful as she saw the arrows overhead, immediately falling off her horse to hide behind Effie. Effie growled at the assault, pushing the swordsmen off of her so that she could pull Elise to her front. Two arrows shot from their right flank, plunging into the swordsmen's necks to give Effie the moment she needed to raise her shield over Elise. Effie held onto Elise tight, keeping her as close to her as possible to avoid any arrows that may stray away from her. The shouts and yells of agonizing pain echoed in the distance, revealing that the red armored wyvern lord was dismantling the archer platoon, one by one. Upon arrival, Shura and Camilla helped Effie by securing Elise's position, the two of them now guarding Effie's flank.

"Jeesh, they just keep on coming!" Shura growled, immediately raising his bow to dismantle a charging soldier. Two spearmen charged Camilla as she backed up close to Elise; they parted from the middle approach, both of them moving out to both of her sides before charging once again. Camilla clenched her teeth tight as she turned and cut through one of the spears like a hot knife through butter, taking off an arm that held it. Tried as she might, she spun around to try and fend off the second, only to feel the sharp sting of a spear tip jamming into her side. Camilla cried out in pain, using the strength of her rage to take off the spearmen's head with a massive swing. Camilla glared down an approaching cavalry charge that was to follow in their stead, tearing out the spear with a loud, furious cry. Elise immediately began to heal the wound, but was shocked at how overwhelmed her beloved sister was. Shura turned to assist Camilla in trying to tackle the four cavalrymen that were headed their way.

"Turn back if you want to live!" Camilla yelled immediately being put into a blocking stance from a large sword being swung down at her. Effie was forced to turn from her position to assist Camilla in bringing the first horseman down, causing Shura to hop over Elise to shoot down two more charging soldiers.

Corrin desperately sliced through soldier after soldier, striking each one down with a single swing. Oboro and Mozu had moved up to his side at this point, helping to bat away what enemies that Corrin couldn't clear from their path. Suddenly, they found themselves being put into check as a familiar face blocked their path. With a sword in hand, a male cavalier with short grayish blue hair confronted them, immediately taking a swing at Corrin that was forced to be defended.

"I am Silas of the Nohrian army, I won't let anyone who opposes to make leave towards the castle walls!" Silas called, signaling for a whole group of cavalryman to completely surround their position. Corrin was in complete shock as he discovered that his child hood friend had become a strong soldier for the Nohrian army. He desperately wanted to say something, but he knew he couldn't afford to drop his façade. The cavalry to his rear flank immediately went in, both of them being knocked aside by Oboro and Mozu. They were like a brick wall when defending Corrin, untiring and solid. Corrin and Silas immediately locked blades with one another, giving Corrin a tough time in trying to prevent the taking of Silas's life. The loud clashes began to sting Corrin's ears, deafening them to everything else around them as they parried blows.

Oboro and Mozu grew weary as they were forced on the defensive, both of them narrowly escaping death with each of their vicious swings. Mozu cried out as she was forced onto her back, her spear being torn from her hands by the mighty swing of an axe. Oboro immediately took Mozu's place, guarding her as three of the dismounted soldiers attacked. As quick as Oboro was, she was only able to fend off one of the three, the other two managing to skim her skin with their sharp edged. Oboro let out loud, disgruntled growls as she used all the strength she had to even hold her spear. Mozu covered her mouth when she saw streams of blood dripping off of Oboro's knuckles with the source being a cut just below her shoulder.

"I…I can't hold on much longer…" Oboro groaned to herself, managing to disarm and stab into one of the soldiers. She immediately retreated her spear from the stab, only to have it knocked from her grasp with minimal effort as she attempted to put up a guard.

"Corrin, I'm sorry…" Oboro cried with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. As the cavalry were about to put an end to her life, a screeching sound of lightning shot through them, dropping them to the ground dead in an instant. Oboro turned her exhausted gaze to the source, where a very furious Ryoma stood in their wake. Oboro couldn't help but to sigh in relief, her energy quickly depleting. Firm footsteps rustled the ground until finally stopping before the two worn out spear users.

"I would've never expected to find you in a place like this, Oboro…we have much to discuss when this is over. I order you to report to the base camp immediately," Ryoma sighed, offering out his hand to Oboro who grasped onto it as hard as she could. Hearing the report from Saizo just the other day had put him in quite a shock. He refused to believe the words of one of his most trusted subordinates at first, but he knew he could not truly feign disbelief. After Oboro caught her balance, she began to help Mozu up as well with Ryoma now turning to the clashing fit that was Corrin and Silas's duel. Corrin was taken by surprise as Ryoma charged passed him, immediately cutting down Silas's mount with a single swing.

"Let me take care of this Nohrian scum for you. Take your allies and flee to safety," Ryoma said, casually walking over the carcass of Silas's mount, now chasing down the fleeing commander. Corrin grit his teeth and chased after him; he wasn't about to let another dear friend die by any means, even if it meant facing his brother's powerful strides. Fortunately, Corrin's running speed was always top notch, allowing him to dash past Ryoma, his feet sliding along the dirt until he had Silas at his rear. Ryoma rose up Raijinto at Corrin's face, he's brow scowling with his prideful glare. Corrin slid his hand back onto Yato's handle, ready to draw it at any moment.

"Put up your sword. I would hate to have to strike down a good man that merely wanted to help those in need," Ryoma warned Corrin, taking another step forward as he kept his blade pointed right at Corrin's face. Silas stared in confusion as the stranger he was once fighting was now coming to his aid, somehow recognizing the way that his new protector stood before him. Corrin knew that he couldn't hide any longer, realizing that Ryoma would easily be able to see under his hood with Raijinto's light. Corrin slowly withdrew Yato from its sheath, the winds around them picking up, blowing his hood from his face. Ryoma glared then shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning his glare into a fierce stare.

"So it is you Corrin…tell me, how did it feel to know that you caused your own brother's death?!" Ryoma shouted, taking an instinctive swing at Corrin. Corrin immediately went on guard, clashing against Raijinto with his Yato.

"If you had just believed in me and helped me aid in a non-violent peace, none of this would've happened!" Corrin growled, parrying another to swing with his blade. Both Oboro and Mozu immediately returned their attention to Corrin, who was slowly being beaten back Ryoma's strength. With a few more clashes, Ryoma overpowered Corrin, sending him to the ground. Ryoma sighed heavily, pointing his sword at Corrin's face once more.

"I'm sorry for this Corrin, it deeply pains me that things must be this way. One life most atones for another. If only you had joined Hoshido Corrin, this would've never happened…" Ryoma said. Tears rolled out from the corners of Corrin's now furious eyes, his teeth grinding against one another so hard that they could break. Corrin felt his frustration meet its breaking point as he stared Ryoma in the face with the fires of hell behind his eyes.

"It would've never happened if you had just listened to me! So much could've have been avoided if you didn't betray my love that I had for all of you! Because of your bullheadedness, many good people have died! Our brother wouldn't have had to do such a pointless death, his dear retainer and friend Hinata wouldn't have had to die by the hands of Leo in such an insignificant skirmish, and if you didn't outcast me along with my brother Xander, if you had been the better man and accepted my proposal and feelings...AZURE WOULDN'T HAVE DIED EITHER!" Corrin screamed in Ryoma's face, his rage overtaking his very being. Ryoma paused for merely a moment, it tried with all of his might to refuse to let Corrin's emotions shake him. But try as he might, an emotion of outrage still crossed over his eyes, their ferocity intensifying by the moment.

"What did you say...?" Ryoma snarled, slightly losing his composure as his hand began to shake furiously. Corrin didn't back down an inch as he continued to stare dead in Ryoma's eyes.

"Azura, the princess that you accepted as one of your own, the very person that held me together when I had lost all hope IS DEAD! When you branded me a traitor, Azura knew that I would never make it on my own. She wanted to help me with my resolve, to fix this God forsaken war...but because of that, SHE'S DEAD NOW! I was forced to go underground and create my own stronghold, she along with Felicia and Gunter, two other people I would willingly give my life for, were all killed when the stronghold was ambushed by the true face of what is tearing this world apart! Had you just listened to me and accepted me, NONE OF THEM WOULD'VE HAD TO DIE OVER THIS MEANINGLESS WAR!" Corrin yelled, causing Ryoma lunge Raijinto against Corrin's growling fangs, stopping merely centimeters away from them as his whole body was barely able to control itself.

"Stop lying through your teeth and speak the truth," Ryoma scowled, his hands clenching onto Raijinto shaking violently. Corrin willingly leaned towards Raijinto, displaying his fearlessness. It was clear to Ryoma that Corrin would rather die than to lie to his own brother's face.

"Isn't it the Hoshidan way to resolve things with as little conflict as possible? To look for peace, preserve it, and encourage it? I thought if anyone would understand my intentions and my desires of peace it would be you, my brother by blood. How are my cries of peace twisted into treason? How is wishing to protect my loved ones a sign of betrayal?" Corrin took a heavy sigh to try and bring himself down a notch, knowing damn well that hate would only breed more hate. Corrin balled his fingers into fists, clenching them at his sides as he continued to stare Raijinto down to its handle. Ryoma closed his eyes, trying his best to calm himself as well; he knew that his brother was a peaceful soul but Ryoma was losing the will to stay steady. Slanderous words against his pride as a leader was the ultimate form of disrespect to him.

"Ryoma...you aren't the only one at fault by any means...that includes myself...but you're far too proud Ryoma, your too proud to prove that you could be the bigger man when it came to declaring peace against Xander. I've held you in such high regards even though I have known you for only a short period, to the point where if anything happened to you I would find myself lost and die as well...I wanted you to be the more understanding one, the one to bring this madness to an end, or at least take the first step in doing so...but you let your pride and anger towards Nohr twist your judgement and your morals...that makes you no better than the Nohrian's you hate! You can kill me now if you wish, but allow me to give you one last bit of truth before you do...

Let me tell you what happened as a result of both yours and my brother Xander's prides refusing to deflate; Takumi wouldn't have had to die if I wasn't forced to make my own way on the battlefield alone...I saved Takumi's life when that ambush happened...I slayed two retainers that I had known since I was born that belonged to my brother Leo. I killed people that I cared about with my own hands! My youngest sister...Elise...she believed in me when none of you would, even though she was a part of my family that wasn't by blood, she's believed in me since the very beginning. As a result of her belief in me and as a result of my Nohrian family disagreeing with my little sister, not only did Takumi die, no...Camilla, who refused to go against my brother's wishes lost both her trusted retainers and slayed when of Elise's over something as stupid as just trying to return her to her castle! You are not the only one responsible Ryoma, but you could have been the one to make the wiser choice, the choice that would better suit our home, Hoshido. I will forgive you if you kill me, God knows there is plenty of blood on my hands, but as a result of yours and my brother's actions, I LOST A BROTHER AND I NEARLY LOST A SISTER! THE BROTHER WHO BELIEVED IN ME THE LEAST, WHO HATED ME THE MOST IN HOPES OF THE BEST OF HOSHIDO SAW MY INTENTIONS TRUSTED ME IN THE END! Takumi was far more proud than you, but he had to die a meaningless death because of the ignorance of both Hoshido and Nohr and their foolish one upping of one another! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE BEEN THE BIGGER MAN RYOMA?! WHY COULDN'T YOU BE THE ONE TO HELP ME END THIS DAMN WAR!?" Corrin growled behnd his teeth, his tears raining down onto the barren, dusty ground as he lowered his head. Ryoma could take no more, stomping onto Corrin's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR DEVILISH TONGUE LASHING! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO LEAD CORRIN! You were not forced into becoming the king of a country, you have absolutely no idea about the weight that I now bare on my shoulders. I hoist the burden proudly as the leader of Hoshido, but your words are nothing more but stabs to my stomach, trying to force everything off of my shoulders. It was your birthright to fight at Hoshido's side, your destiny even...yet you wouldn't turn against your other "family", the ones who stole you from us. The ones that murdered our father and our mother! Takumi didn't die from my decision Corrin, it was yours that sealed his fate! If only you had fought at our side against the tyrany of Nohr...you could've saved countless lives and protected those who are being caught in the middle of this damned war instead of standing off to the side and watching! I believed in you Corrin, I really did, but when you refused to renounce those that took our mother and father from us in hopes that we could all get along and end this war...in that moment...you sacrificed your birthright..."

Corrin's world began to grow dark and blurry; his heart hurt beyond all comprehension, his very meaning for living was being belittled and branded as foolish...it was if he was staring in the mirror as his eyes tried to focus on Ryoma. Ryoma raised his sword over his head, leaving him a final moment to feed Corrin his words of vengeance.

"You took our brother AND our dear adopted princess to their graves. I hope the Gods shall forgive you, because I will not!" Ryoma shouted, swinging down with all of his strength only to meet with two spears that shook as they combined their strength to hold Ryoma in place. One of them was quite unfamiliar to him, while the other clearly raised Ryoma's disappointment.

"What is the meaning of this Oboro? Are you not enraged by your Lords's death? ARE YOU NOT GOING TO AVENGE THE MAN THAT YOU LOVED?!" Ryoma barked, his patience no longer existed as a result of his verbal knife fight with his brother he wished to abandoned. Ryoma knew all too well about Oboro's feelings for Takumi. Oboro growled, her teeth clashing together as she and Mozu were now being pushed back.

"I will carry out Lord Takumi's final wishes, even if it means dying by your hand Lord Ryoma! I will defend Corrin's life until the end of this sick and putrid war! My sorrows over the loss of my lord are beyond words, but I have enough strength to carry out his wishes. Lord Takumi died an almost meaningless death because he obeyed orders that you and the other royals gave to him to try and capture Corrin. Your inability to see that Corrin wanted nothing more than peace caused the meaningless blood shed and loss of your own brother. Lord Takumi told me, after we had joined with Corrin that he did believe that Corrin's path was a choice worth fighting for. He told me all of this with a pure heart,a clear mind, and a dying breath Lord Ryoma… HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Oboro screamed with her tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. Her rage pushed her strength over the edge, causing her wound to grow more desire as she resisted. She miraculously found herself being able to push Ryoma back with a little help with Mozu. Still dumbfounded in finding his best friend on the battle field, Silas quickly pulled it together and firmed his emotions up on the spot.

"Corrin, if there is anything I can do for you, please tell me!" Silas shouted eternal grateful for Corrin's sacrificial decision to protect him. Corrin sighed heavily as he turned from Ryoma's confrontation, giving him a pat on the back.

"Leave the Nohrian army and assist me in achieving peace Silas. I am happy beyond words that you are alive and here with me now. All the times we had snuck outside of the castle and all of your kindness you have shared with me for years are worth more than enough for me to put my life on the line to protect it," Corrin smiled, offering his hand out to Silas that grasped onto it without hesitation. Oboro let out a battle cry as she took to Ryoma on her own, growling for Mozu to stay out of her confrontation. The battle continued on as the Coalition Honor Guard struggled on the field, their small numbers slowly becoming more and more of a hindrance as the battle raged on. Each member fought as hard as three, their ambitions and beliefs in Corrin's ideals giving them all they had to succeed. With raging emotions and intense battling, Corrin began to wonder if his path was just like either of his two brothers', but he remembered then that he was fighting for peace. The battle rages on.

To Be Continued…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Corrin's Coalition; Part 2

The clashing sounds of the war at Cheve continued to plague the air with its stinging screams, letting all those who dare stray close to leave for their best interest. Finding a horse that belonged to a fallen officer, Silas hopped on, grabbing Corrin's hand to hoist him up behind them so that they could go through the battlefield with ease.

"Silas, who is the commanding officer of the defensive operations here?" Corrin inquired, holding out Yato to help fend against those that would blindside them. Silas sighed, woeful about the answer he was about to give.

"The up rise of the rebellion attacking the castle walls is what forced our hand to make our move. Normally this is a sector for Hans and Lady Camilla…but seeing that they are both gone, Lord Leo has been forced to take their place. He isn't alone however, several of the castle's elite guards are at his side as well," Silas shouted, keeping his eyes and body in check. He drew a sword that was holstered on the mount, holding it out to assist Corrin on the offensive. Corrin shut his eyes and sighed heavily, seeing his blade slaying Leo's loyal retainers in warm blood.

"Is there no battle where my family is at risk?! Gods! Silas let's take to the bridges and moat, that's where we'll try and make our move against the Nohr army. Silas, are you sure you are OK with this? Abandoning Nohr merely for my sake?" Corrin called, which was met with a confident smile without a second thought.

"I joined the Nohr ranks so that I could be at your side Corrin, I'm not about to let a little national pride get in the way of that, let go!" Silas laughed, cutting down an enemy that attempted to attack their flank. Corrin could finally have a sigh of relief, guarding off the opposite side of their flank as they shifted trajectory. The loud cries of pain and the clashing of steel weapons stormed from the confrontation between Ryoma and Oboro. Even at a severe disadvantage, Oboro was fighting with all of her heart and soul, trying to get through to Ryoma with unfruitful attempts.

"Please! Lord Ryoma! I don't want to fight with you! Can't we come to some terms of agreement with Corrin?!" Oboro growled, using both arms to hold her naginata at a guarding position. The blood that trailed down her injured arm began to moisten her hand, making her defensive grasps incredibly difficult as she fought against the strongest warrior in all of Hoshido. Ryoma's Raijinto was slowly withering away her weapon, down to the point where it could snap at any moment.

"I thought you of all people would see what his actions have cost you. I suggest that you surrender Oboro, I don't wish to take your life. However...If not, then I will be forced to end this, it's your choice Oboro. NOW CHOOSE!" Ryoma shouted taking a final swing at her naginata that cleaved it in half. Oboro could no longer hold up her own weight, her blood loss starting to blur her vision and drain her strength as blood from a strike at her hood flooded her left eye. Falling to one knee, she used the bladed half of the naginata as a crutch, slamming it to the ground to prevent from completely hitting the ground. Ryoma held Raijinto inches away from her face, his eyes filled with sorrow and regret as he glared into hers.

"If this is where I am to die, I choose to die following my Lord's orders, no, my beloved's orders to the bitter end. His words are my law, and his final word was for me to protect Corrin, even with my life. I…accept my fate, but know this Lord Ryoma: Those who don't follow their heart, are doomed to self destruction. Those were my lord's words that he instilled in me ever since I became his retainer. I pray that these words will now help guide you to the right decision," Oboro said with a smile, a sliver of blood flowing down the corner of her mouth as she lowered her head. Mozu looked over at Ryoma, who now had tears at the corners of his eyes as he yelled in defiance. Mozu could no longer watch, charging in to cushion Ryoma's vicious swing. Mozu grunted loudly, using all of her strength to push back Ryoma's might as he insisted on trying to push through.

"Why must you kill your own? You are a king are you not? You're supposed to protect your people, and believe in them!" Mozu shouted, catching Ryoma by surprise. After pushing Ryoma back just the slightest, she dropped her naginata to the ground and held out her arms, a true sign of protest to this grave and meaningless scenario. Even with no weapon, Mozu was ready to give anyone what was coming to them. Ryoma bit his lip to the point of it bleeding, Raijinto merely inches away from her face. With an aggressive, calming breath, he tried his best to hold back his rage.

"You are nothing but a farm girl, I can tell from your tatters and the way you wield that weapon so despairingly. I would rather not kill one that works hard for the common good, no matter which side they may align with. Tell me, what is your name?" Mozu was taken by surprise as Ryoma kept Raijinto close to her, his words showing odd hints of kindness. She took a hefty breath as well, refusing to drop her arms or her position in front of her beloved teacher.

"My name is Mozu; I am the only survivor of a massacre that destroyed my home. The faceless…they came and murdered everyone, ruined our crops and destroyed the entire village. I was going to die that very day, clinging to the corpse of my mother... That's when Lord Corrin saved me. He singlehandedly saved me, fighting off dozens of faceless that tried to take my life. To him I was a complete stranger, not someone that was truly worth another's life to rescue but Lord Corrin put his own life on the line for this complete stranger, and swore on his own life to protect me at all cost. Now I am his loyal retainer with the help of Ms. Oboro teaching me the way of the naginata. And…I am also his's lover and I refuse to let anyone compromise his path of peace!" Mozu shouted in his face, her eyes filling with tears as she glared him down angrily. Ryoma's eyes stared in astonishment, taking him completely by surprise. Ryoma shut his eyes, lowering Raijinto from her face and sheathing it at his side.

"Mozu…such a weak name for such a strong will. I can see that your eyes speak no lies and are pure of heart...If what you say is true, and that my brother is truly your lover, I will allow you to show me his resolve before I raise my hand again. He openly defended a Nohrian knight, but he also refused to kill anyone in opposition. I believe it was fate that Corrin had found someone like you, with eyes as clear as day and a heart larger than comprehension. I will take Oboro in to tend to her dire wounds and I will leave you and my brother to your own. But hear this: if you or any of his comrades are to ever raise a blade at me again, I will not show mercy. Spread this to your vanguard and show me his true resolve," Ryoma said, returning to his kind yet fierce demeanor. Mozu smiled, tears streaming down the corners of her cheeks as she helped Oboro up to her feet. Oboro could barely tell where she was; the world around her had grown dim and blurry, her strength was constantly fleeting, barely able to make any movement at all. She could only make out half of what transpired just now, but knew that the Lord Ryoma she once knew was still standing before her. Her whole world went black as Mozu handed her off to two of Ryoma's guards, grabbing her naginata then giving Ryoma the most respectful of bows.

"Thank you um, Lord Ryoma sir, have faith in Corrin, and you will not disappointed," Mozu said with a farewell, grasping her naginata tightly as she returned to the battlefield. Ryoma called out into their barracks, to which a beautiful woman with lilac purple hair came to his call as well as the ninja Saizo, who had confronted them just the other day.

"Orochi…Saizo…I wish for you to protect that girl with your lives. Make sure she makes it back to my brother in one piece and that you see for yourselves that Corrin is truly against the evils we face. Understood?" Ryoma said with a half smile, both of them giving him a nod in response.

"It shall be done," Saizo said, charging off in her direction, the woman simply smiled, brandishing a fan that she had tucked away in her sash.

"Not so much of a hair will be harmed," Orochi said, running off after Saizo. Ryoma sighed and turned his attention back to the castle wall. He immediately redrew Raijinto, stinging the thin hair with its electric screech.

"Corrin…I want to believe in you…so please, show me that your resolve is true," Ryoma said quietly, charging off again towards the enemy stronghold. Mozu did her best to try and avoid conflict, making sure to fend them off with as minimal effort as she could. With every swing, should recite what Oboro had taught her. Mozu stopped in her tracks as she was confronted by an armored knight, who easily pushed back her naginata swing with ease.

"It seems that even peasants are trying to rebel against King Garon; expect no mercy!" the knight shouted, immediately thrusting his lance at Mozu, who dodged and smacked it away. No matter what tactics she took, she found it more and more futile to try and attack, leaving her to feel a bit belittled. The knight then made a strong thrust that managed to catch her hand, stabbing into the back of it as she went to swing again. Mozu cried out in pain as she dropped her naginata, immediately tearing off the bottom of her muffler and wrapping it around her hand. The knight simply laughed and watched her futility, until those laughs were replaced with gasps of fear. What appeared to be the shadowy form of a bull charged at the knight, completely shattering his shield and tearing him to the ground. Mozu turned to see a beautiful woman in incredibly oriental dress with a big smile accompanying it.

"Careful now, those knights can be a real hassle. Just stay behind me and you'll be super safe, OK young lady?" Orochi smirked, immediately rushing ahead of Mozu to cast another apparition to tear through another armored knight. Mozu smiled then picked up her naginata with her good hand, now trying to keep up with the fast and elegant beauty that was now guiding her through the battlefield.

"Don't worry; we're here to help OK?" Elise said with her chipper smile as she, Camilla, Effie and Shura all came across a refuge of injured soldiers and civilians. There were very few Hoshidan healers at the ready so Elise took it upon herself to help in their cause, which was good because it gave Camilla, Shura and Effie a nice breather, setting them as more of a guarding post then all out brawling. Elise and Camilla continued to keep their hood and cloaks closed and low, trying their best to hide their nationality.

"God's be praised child! If you weren't here to help, my child would be dead!" an older woman cried as Elise tended to her severely injured child. Seeing all of the grateful faces and expression of hope made her almost want to cry from happiness as well. She wiped her eye and smiled at the mother, giving her a confident wink.

"Think nothing of it, that's what the Coalition Honor Guard is all about," Elise said quietly, moving on to the next person. Outside of the large home/shelter Effie and Camilla were guarding the doors with Shura made his way onto the roof of the building to scout.

"This has been quite the hectic mess hasn't it?" Effie said with a yawn, stretching her arms. Camilla couldn't help but to see the faces of those she slain that were once under her command. It was like watching her troops being massacred, except she was the one massacring them. Camilla shook her head, trying to keep it straight as she planted her axe into the ground to use the handle as a crutch.

"Yes…it really has…" Camilla sighed; her thoughts and emotions were weighing heavily on her as she killed more and more of her past comrades in this battle. It appeared to her that 70% of the soldiers were she had known personally, training them for the days that they would have to battle. She continued to whisper to herself that Corrin's path was the right one, but her emotions began to waver at dangerous levels; it was clear she was losing her sense of self. She was no stranger to the battlefield and the loss of lives that were lost in her stead, however, she was never the one to kill her own men. All she could do was grip tightly onto her axe and take heavy breaths to try and beat the traitorous feelings in her heart.

Suddenly, Shura caught view of several knights being blown away with magic and a girl being accompanied by what appeared to be a ninja. As the mass destruction closed in on them, he could easily tell that the ninja was none other than Saizo, the very same ninja that he had managed to knick in their last confrontation. Shura immediately grabbed his bow and quickly drew it back. He was about to release his arrow when he realized who the girl was; it was Mozu that the two Hoshidan soldiers were escorting, which greatly confused him.

"Did she defect or something? This ain't lookin' too right. Hey Effie, Camilla! Heads up, there's two Hoshidan units heading our way! Do not attack them unless provoked!" Shura called, allowing Effie and Camilla to get into position. As the Hoshidans and Mozu came into view, they noticed that they were being chased down by cavalry, barely being able to stay ahead of them. Shura noticed this as well, grinning as he pulled back his shot once again.

"Such bad boys you are, chasing a bunch of women," Shura snickered as he fired away, immediately rearming and firing once more. Each shot went 1 for 1, taking out two of the mounted soldiers with ease. Camilla and Effie took position, allowing Saizo, Orochi and Mozu to pass them before taking out their wrath on the opposing forces. Effie and Shura noticed something a little strange about Camilla as she willingly charged one of the cavalrymen head on. With painful tears in her eyes, she put on a brave, and angry front, as if she were forcibly punching through a wall.

"CORRIN'S RESOLVE IS THE RIGHT ONE!" Camilla yelled, taking a savage swing the the cavalryman's horse. With one vicious stroke, she decapitated one of the horses with only mild resistance. The mounted soldier fell and rolled to the ground, to who was stabbed down by Effie to finish him. This was quite strange for Camilla considering she was always so composed and level headed in battle. Elise from within the home heard the emotional cries of her beloved older sister; she had only heard her sister yelling like that only a handful of time, mostly because of grief from terrible acts performed against those she cared for. It was also when her dear sister Camilla would be deeply torn between two things, that she would recklessly convince herself of the one that her heart followed and not her mind. Effie bashed back a horses charge with her shield, thrusting her lance up into its chest to bring the soldier to the ground. Effie bashed the bottom of her heavy shield into the soldier's chest, crushing him as Camilla charged once more; cleaving her axe through the next horse's front legs.

"T-This has to be the right path...I'm sorry everyone, I don't want to do this, but...I WON'T LET ANY OF YOU STOP CORRIN'S PATH TO PEACE!" Camilla shrieked again, her hood began to drench in blood, dropping her façade as she lost her temper and her rational thought. She batted the horse's rider out of the air as he was thrown off his mount, causing a streak of blood to follow his body as it flew to the ground; It was truly a terrifying sight to behold which even scared Shura and to an extent disturbed Effie as they were forced to watch. Elise wanted to go out and calm her sister, but there were far too many people at the end of their rope to go and help.

"I have to do this quicker! Hang in there big sister," Elise said to herself, desperately trying to heal everyone around her with her blessed light. Camilla dropped her axe down onto one final soldier, her arms and legs trembling violently as her eyes grew wild with hate. Effie could watch now longer as she dropped her lance and shield, grabbing a hold of Camilla to restrain her before she charged off on her own. Camilla struggled and thrashed against Effie's inhuman strength, trying to everything in her power to break free of her

"Unhand me at once Effie! I have to get going! I can't stop until I can no longer see their faces!" Camilla shrieked, trying to drop her center of gravity to escape. Effie saw through the ploy, getting a stronger grip on the princess before putting her in a strong arm lock.

"Lady Camilla calm down! The enemy is down! Lord Corrin ordered us to keep from killing as many as possible! They aren't a threat anymore!" Effie shouted, forcibly wrestling Camilla to the ground and disarming her. Camilla continued to fight against Effie, her energy beginning to struggle against Effie's might. Then something that Effie had never seen before occurred, Camilla began to weep as her head laid upon the ground. It was as if she were mourning for her own family's death, losing control of her emotions as her tears mixed with the dirt. Once the tears could be heard from within the home, Elise could now longer ignore her, immediately stopping and rushing out the door to see her beloved sister being manhandled by her mighty retainer.

"Effie! Get off of my sister now!" Elise ordered, to which Effie obeyed immediately. Elise quickly dove next to Camilla who turned to Elise; her eyes were filled with intense grief and tears; red rings lined the edges of her eyelashes with her whole composure being shot and her usually calm attitude had been shattered to pieces. Camilla began to shake as she raised her head, turning to her dear little sister who could do nothing more but stare in disbelief at her sisters condition

"These are all my soldiers Elise...I trained and care about these men and women so dearly to a fault, to a point where I knew that I could be emotionally vulenerable without consequence…I've been killing all of my soldiers Elise!" Camilla said in an outburst, causing Elise to gaze at her frightfully. As savage a fighter and as level headed as she could be, this very battle, ever since she saw that soldier die by her own hands, she had began to question everything that was going on with this cursed war and the decisions she had made. When Camilla saw the fear in Elise's eyes, it helped her calm down, allowing her to slowly turn back into her usual, kind self that she was known for being. She gently held Elise close as she rested her head on her shoulder once more. Elise began to gently stroke her sisters hair, carefully sliding her small fingers through it to help her calm down, just as Camilla had done for Elise her entire life.

"Shh…its OK sister, its OK…there's no shame in being weak at a time like this. I know I'd feel the same in your place, so just try and remain calm," Elise comforted, causing Camilla to slowly come back to her senses as she continued to sob. Mozu ran back to see the commotion that she had just witnessed from a far.

"Oh gosh is Princesses Camilla alright?!" Mozu asked, clearly out of breath. The moment that Camilla's name hit the air, both Saizo and Orochi stiffened up, glaring at them carefully. They were without a doubt going to follow their lord's orders, but hearing of the princess that was responsible for so many countless lives of their people clearly put them on edge. However, when they saw that the savage beauty was crying tears of regret instead of tears of death, they found themselves at least a little more at ease.

"We're OK Mozu, war is just a jerky jerk to us all, don't worry she'll be fine…oh no…um…where is Corrin, Mozu? Weren't you supposed to be protecting him? And where's Ms. Oboro? Is she OK?" Elise pointed out all the obvious things that were wrong with the picture. Camilla noticed this fact as well, causing her to immediately shift her attention. Camilla sighed heavily, rising to her feet before glaring Mozu down.

"Where's my dear brother Mozu…?" Camilla grumbled as she approached her. It was clear to Mozu that a wrong answer could very easily turn into a major fiasco. Mozu stepped back, intimidated by the pained eyes of Corrin's beautiful sister. Effie immediately stepped to Camilla, grasping her shoulder. Camilla attempted to aggressively brush Effie off, only to find herself being restrained again. Before Camilla could get an inch closer, a pair of daggers were found next to her throat, causing her to grow slightly pale.

"We are under strict orders to deliver Lady Mozu back to Lord Corrin unharmed. So I suggest you settle down…" Saizo sighed, glaring at the enraged Camilla that Effie was forced to yet again be put into the dirt. Elise sighed heavily, waving for Effie to release her poor sister, walking up to the two of them.

"Um…Mr. Ninja, do you happen to know the answer to some of these questions?" Elise asked kindly, keeping her hood down. Saizo sighed at the pathetic princess's display, shaking his head before returning his attention to Elise.

"Lord Corrin has moved up further into the battle accompanied by a Nohr knight that he called Silas. Apparently the two were very close at some point. Oboro is currently at the rebel barracks being tended to after she sustained great injury from Lord Ryoma while in defense of Lord Corrin. Orochi and I, upon Lord Ryoma's orders are to return Lady Mozu to Lord Corrin unharmed. Seeing that he is not here, we must be off," Saizo said in his overly serious tone, immediately prompting for Mozu to join him and Orochi. Mozu put her hand on Camilla's shoulder, smiling down at her as she looked up.

"Don't give up hope, you know that Corrin would do the same in your place, but he would be a pillar of strength and move on. You are the strongest person that I know Lady Camilla, prove it to yourself that you can be that strong too," Mozu said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before moving back out into the fray with Orochi and Saizo.

"Corrin was right…this is a damned war that has no meaning…" Camilla sighed, finally pulling it together and rising to her feet. She gazed at everyone before averting her eyes shamefully.

"I'm sorry for my behavior, I'll be sure that I never let my feelings get out of balance again…" Camilla sighed, hugging on to Elise and planting a kiss on her head.

"I have to set a better example for my dear little sister after all," Camilla finally put on a smile and ruffled Elise's hair, allowing her to give a small laugh of joy.

"There's the first bridge, let's route the enemy Silas!" Corrin commanded, leaping off the horse. Silas put on a grin as they charged at the elite guards that held their shields high at the mouth of the ridge. Upon arrival they noticed that one of the knights what a shade different than the rest; unlike the other to accompanying him, he hadn't equipped a helm and stood stronger than them as well. He had an odd blonde short cut Mohawk with a battle cry that could shake the area. Arriving next to Hoshidan forces, Corrin and Silas stared him down, watching carefully for any sudden movements. His two accompanying knights quickly charged at Silas and Corrin, who were ready for a quick take down. Silas pointed his sword towards the knight, circling around on his mount to avoid their quick thrust. He then came in at a fast pace, slashing right into the knight's neck after clearing the top of his shield.

"Your armor is only as good as your defense," Silas mocked while the other knight clashed with Corrin's blade. Corrin growled as he fought against the knights might, swiftly knocking his lance aside, spinning around to cut against the back of the knight's knee. The heavy weight of the knight's armor caused him to topple down like a wall of bricks, struggling to rise back up from the ground. Corrin stomped on the knight's throat, holding Yato's tip to his face.

"Stay down, I don't wish to kill you. However, if you make a move, I will end your life," Corrin said, kicking the knights lance aside. Coughing paraded out of the knight's helmet with both Silas and Corrin turning to the main armored knight.

"I am Benny, one of the main guards of this outpost. I don't wish to quarrel, but if you insist on approaching this bridge, I will not let a single one of you through!" Benny shouted, slamming the bottom of his lance into the ground. An unexpected sight followed this imagery as a lightly armored, yet scantily clad woman with an axe walked out from behind him with a very flirtatious expression.

"Oh my, look at what handsome soldiers these two are. It's a shame I'm going to have to kill you," the woman said, licking her lips. Her expression changed in the blink of an eye as she removed her axe from her back holster.

"Charlotte do take caution, these two aren't amateurs like the others that have tried to cross," Benny warned, getting into his battle stance as the two approached them. Charlotte used her shoulder to house the grip of the axe, getting prepared as well as the four of them stared each other down. Silas decided to make the first move, immediately charging the two of them upon his mount. To his surprise, Benny would withstand the weight of horse coming down on his shield, pushing the beast back before stabbing its chest. The horse wailed in agony as Silas desperately held on to its reigns, taking a few swings at Benny before he was forced to the ground. Silas rolled along the ground, cushioning his landing to prevent injury as Corrin then made his move. This time Charlotte stepped in as the defensive, giving Benny time to move around and attack Silas directly. Corrin clashed with Charlotte's mighty axe, making it his primary target instead of the weilder herself.

"Jeesh! You're pretty fast for such a big guy!" Silas smirked, narrowly avoiding each vicious thrust of Benny's lance. Benny began to grunt and growl, putting every ounce of his strength into each thrust and swing that he made.

"It's a shame that I have to kill someone as handsome as you stranger, but I shant let you by to the castle wall!" Charlotte snickered, showcasing her brutish strength, which caught Corrin by surprise. His underestimation of Charlotte's strengthlanded him on his back, quickly kicking away as she smashed her axe into the ground.

"Gods, that's certainly unexpected..." Corrin sighed as he hustled back up to his feet. Now analyzing her tactics, Corrin figured out the trick to dealing with such strength. As she made another strength, he quickly feinted to the right, catching her arm with his blade as she recovered from her swing.

"You ruffian! How dare you!" Charlotte growled, attempting to swing with her good arm, only to have it meet with a blade as well. Blood began to slide down her pale, muscular arms as her grip began to loosen on her weapon of choice. With a finally mighty swing, Charlotte yelled as she brought her axe down, this time catching a slash to her left thigh. She screamed in pain as her weapon became logged in the ground, now falling to a kneel as she glared at Corrin furiously. Corrin thrust the hilt of Yato into he chest, knocking her to her back so that she wouldn't get back up so easily.

"Watch your ass Benny! I'm down!" Charlotte yelled, trembling in agony as she attempted to rise back to her feet. Benny immediately held out his lance, swinging it around fiercly to knock Corrin back with its blow to Yato. Silas found his opening as Benny turned to bash Corrin back with his shield, immediately sliding into the back of Benny's legs with a sharp slicing sound. Benny grunted loudly, slamming the end of lance into the ground to use as a crutch as he smote Silas back onto the ground, disarming him with the impact.

"I'll die before the two of you get by!" Benny roared, immediately returning his attention to Corrin. Corrin shook his head with a frown, his eyes almost sorrowful as he watched poor Benny fight for his life. Benny went to thrust his shield into Corrin, only to be stopped by Corrin's bare hands. Corrin growled as he gripped onto its edges, forcing it from Benny's grasp and tossing it over the bridge. Benny then went to sweep at Corrin's feet as he fell to a kneel, only to have it stomped on by Corrin. Silas came up from behind the downed Benny, ready to deliver the final blow to the mighty brute.

"Silas stop! He's unable to continue on!" Corrin barked at Silas, causing him to retract his sword. Silas shook his head then shrugged his shoulders at Corrin, a half smirk gracing his face.

"You never change Corrin, and for once I'm glad to see it," Silas replied as Corrin tossed both Charlotte's axe and Benny's lance over the edge of the bridge. The collided with the moat with a sound ploop, signaling that they were no longer a threat.

"Both of you, please stay down...I want to avoid taking as many lives as I can. Silas, I want you to wait here with these two to secure their safety, I'm going to go find my brother," Corrin pleaded, both of them giving a nod as an admittance of defeat. Neither were ready to give up their post, but with no mobility and no weapons, they were dead in the water.

"Don't worry Corrin, I got it. Good luck against your brother, I know you can do it!" Silas cheered him on as Corrin finished crossing the bridge. Charlotte couldn't help but gaze at the valiant and rough Silas as he smirked at the two of them.

"I hope your injuries aren't too bad, I'd feel guilty if I had such a beautiful woman's blood on my hands," Silas said popping his neck as Hoshidan forces made their way across the bridge. Charlotte was taken by surprise by the young man's sweet words, causing her to blush lightly regardless of her body hurting like all hell.

"It seems I have taken a wrong turn...I guess there's no going back now huh?" Orochi groaned as three warriors found themselves in the main brunt of the enemy army that occupied the town. If it weren't for Orochi's fierce magic clearing a path, they would never make an inch of leway towards the enemy stonghold. Orochi sighed as she set off another running bull, its ferocious power clearing away another 4 enemies.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up...this is VERY exausting..." Orochi groaned, staying at the front as Mozu and Saizo covered her flank. Saizo, Mozu and and Orochi found themselves in a difficult rush, stopping every ten feet to take on a plethra of Nohrian forces as Orochi began to run out of energy, leaving them surrounded within a matter of minutes.

"It certainly seems we are in quite the hot spot..." Saizo sighed, throwing out several shurikens that caught a number of soldiers in the neck, causing them to crumble to the ground. The loud roaring sounds of a wyvern grew close, the mighty warrior in red coming in for a strong sweep of her axe.

"Looks like you could use a hand!" Scarlet cackled, now taking down soldier after soldier that blocked their way with her massive strength. The three of them let out a sigh of relief, hopping over the bodies of the dead that barricaded their path. It wasn't much longer until they came across the bridge that Corrin was upon, seeing Silas watching over two of the enemies stronger fighters.

"Have you seen Corrin?" Mozu asked. Silas immediately pointed off in the direction in which Corrin charged, returning his gaze the now awkwardly swooning Charlotte. The two of them began to chat up a storm, leaving Benny to just shake his head as the three warriors passed them by. Corrin looked around desperately as he reached the fortress wall, being forced to cut down foes at the legs and hips as his eyes darted around. Finally, Corrin's eyes caught sight of a dark clothed figure on a black horse, immediately moving out of the straight line towards him to avoid magic that erupted from the ground.

"Corrin...so you have joined the rebellion. I am far from surprised at such treachery. First you humiliate me by twarting my ploy to extinguish that poor excuse of a Hoshidan prince before my own brother's eyes. You slayed both of my retainers in the process before escaping like a coward...you used your silver tongue to fill my dear little sister's heart and mind with such hypocritical vows and actions...you then steal my other sister away by force, forcing her to fight for your delusions of grandeur...and now here we are...you have taken from me all that made me a supportive brother AND proud man...YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING THAT I LOVE!" Leo roared, casting spell after spell, each one more powerful than the last. Corrin found himself at such spacing that grew to be nearly impossible to close the gap. Corrin backed out of range, gazing at Leo with the sorrowful eyes of a broken man as he tossed Yato to the side.

"None of those terrible memories would have been formed if you and Xander had only listened to me! I wanted to prevent all of this death and suffering, so much to the point to where I would have proudly given my life if it would fix everything! I wanted all of you to believe in me, to believe that everything can be resolved with words and not the edge of a sword...can't you see that our father is simply using all of you to keep this war in full bloom?!" Corrin retaliated, approaching Leo unarmed and without fear. Leo cast another spell right in front of Corrin in an attempt to intimidate him unstead of killing him right now, but it was in vain as Corrin stopped, still gazing at him.

"Your words are just as empty as your heart you traitor! You dare preach of peace even now after you admitted to your own disgraceful acts!? You're nothing but a damned fool who lies to everyone, even yourself!" Leo screamed at Corrin; there was no patience nor mercy left in Leo for his dear "brother" to latch onto. Corrin was forced to strafe and charge as Leo continued to feed his unsatiable thirst for Corrin's blood with all of his rage and sorrow. It was if just the two of them battling was enough to warrant a full scale assault.

"Leo, please, I'm beginning of you. Look past my transgressions and try to really see the cause of all this! Please don't make me hurt you!" Corrin growled, fighting back tears as Leo paused. Leo closed his eyes and shook his head, letting out a long, heavy sigh before he returned his glare to Corrin.

"I've come here for defense to honor my brother's wishes, the only man I think of more highly than our father. You know how Xander is Corrin, if you were in my place, would you honestly back down?" Leo said, trying to level with Corrin the best he Corrin. Much like with Ryoma, Corrin found himself in a tough place in negotiations.

"I wouldn't want to disappoint him either. I can understand that...I may not be of your blood but all of you raised me into the man that stands before you today. But Leo..." Corrin was about to begin another attempt at peace as an explosion of magic hit the dirt in front of him. Corrin sighed heavily, continuing to keep his gaze on Leo.

"Enough Corrin...the only way this will end is with one of us being burried in the ground. I will not accept a simple surrender...so if you want me to submit, DO IT ALREADY!" Leo shouted, hitting Corrin with a direct hit of his magic. Leo shut his tome and shook his head in disappointment as he turned his back, only to hear the odd sounds or a rising wind. His gaze immediately turned as the roaring of a beast stung the air; Corrin could no longer cage his frustration.

"Gods! What is this?!" Leo gasped quickly reopening Brunhyldr and readying his offense. Corrin's draconic eyes glared Leo down, his breathing growing heavier by the moment as he tried to remain in control.

"I'LL FORCE YOU TO SUBMIT!" Corrin roared, leaping torwards Leo with blinding speed. Leo began to retreat, turning down the rivers way as he kept eyes behind him, continuing to shoot magic as Corrin gained momentum. Leo's heart began to raise and his adrenaline soared as he charged off, trying to keep up an offensive. Trying to split his attention betrayed him as the searing electrical sounds of Raijinto shot clear through his mount, dropping it to the ground in an instant. As Leo hit the ground, Corrin leapt and grasped around his throat, pinning him to ground by force.

"Kill me, if you can you coward..." Leo growled, spitting on Corrin's leg as he choked. Ryoma watched the savage display of power, remembering back to when he lost control because of the loss of his mother. Ryoma walked over and shoved the tip of Raijinto next to Leo's face, glaring him down.

"I am not your enemy Leo...Hoshido is not your enemy...its our father, Garon that's truly evil! I know that you and Xander have your wits about you, yet you still follow his tyranical orders. For what? Because he's our father? I know you've seen it for yourself. Times when father would seem like a completely different person...that's our enemy Leo. That's the monster that is putting us against one another, that is destroying everything around us!" Corrin's voice echoed as Ryoma waved across Leo's eyes for his attention.

"You're family killed my father, my mother, and my brother...as far as I'm concerned you are a contributing cause to their deaths, prince of Nohr. You may have lost your sisters to Corrin, but you have not lost your family as I have. If it weren't for my brother's love for you as his kin, I would have gladly sent you to your grave...surrender now..." Ryoma grimaced, moving the tip of Raijinto between Leo's eyes. Leo did not show any sign of regret as Corrin slightly let off of Leo throat, allowing him to breathe properly. Suddenly a burst of intense magic struck Corrin at his side, knocking him off his feet and onto his side. Leo flinched, but didn't budge, knowing that he immediately lose his life he were move an inch. In the aftermath of smoke and fire stepped a surprising sight: King Garon.

"ENOUGH!" Garon growled, brandishing his divine axe Bulverk to his front. He looked turned his beady, ogreish eyes towards Leo with a complete lack of concern for his well being. Without hesitation, Ryoma let out a battle cry as he lunged for Garon, only to have Raijinto parried by the back of Garon's fist. Ryoma immediately leapt backwards, scowling in dismay as the King of Nohr looked down upon him. Leo smiled hopefully at his father as he held onto his throat, coughing as he tried to raise back onto his feet. Corrin returned to normal, gazing in disbelief as Garon suddenly pinned Leo back down with his foot stomping into his back.

"GEH! Father why?!" Leo began to cough up blood as Garon began grinding the heel of his grieve into Leo's back, causing yells of agony to leave his mouth.

"Stay down foolish boy...I will deal with you shortly..." Garon grumbled, causing Leo to stare in horror. It was just as Corrin had said, Garon truly had lost his mind. Garon immedately turned to Corrin who was now glaring in pure hatred at Garon. Seeing another one of his brothers dying before his very eyes began to send him into a shaking rage. He shifted back into the form of a dragon, roaring angrily as he went into a charge.

"CORRIN STOP!" Mozu screamed as she, Saizo and Orochi finally met up with him. The moment Garon noticed his move, he immediately turned, yelling out as an inferno exploded from Bulverk, knocking him back into his normal form yet again. Ryoma then took his swing at the tyranical leader, only to be swatted back with great force from Bulverk.

"Pathetic, King of Hoshido...you're just as pathetic as your father hehehe..." Garon snickered as Ryoma wiped blood from from the corner of his mouth. He went to charge in again but was immediately stopped by Saizo, who brandished his presence before Ryoma.

"My Lord, you need escape now. Orochi and I will hold him back so that you can go back to the camp..." Saizo said, signalling for Orochi to come join him at Ryoma's front. Ryoma shook his head and stomped his foot in protest.

"I will not have my mother's retainers, MY retainers die here against that Nohrian filth! There are so many more battles to be fought and I can not do them alone! I order you to come with me, NOW!" Ryoma barked, his orders falling on deaf ears as the two of them turned back to Ryoma.

"We failed in protecting your mother Lord Ryoma, we will not fail in protecting yours," Orochi said with a faint smile. Ryoma sheathed Raijinto and shook his head, grinding his teeth as if trying to turn them to dust.

"Survive! I will return with reinforcements!" Ryoma shouted, charging back across a bridge. Garon rose Bulverk, setting his sights on Ryoma as he retreated. As Saizo and Orochi ran to intercept Garon, a grunt left his mouth as his balance faltered. They stared in shock as Leo managed to lift his father from his back, crawling along the ground to grab Brynhildr.

"This isn't your battle Hoshidans, this is a family matter that I must tend to myself! Return to your lord, and tell him not to return. I know I have no power over the two of you, but please, grant me this request!" Leo growled as Corrin helped him back up to his feet. Orochi and Saizo sighed leaving the battlefield.

"Corrin...I'm sorry...the father I once knew would never threaten to murder his own children, but clearly that has changed...it's a terrible shame that you and I had to battle, it was a travesty that my two dear friends died by your hands, but...this is war. It brings out the worst in people, and that includes myself. I can no longer return to Nohr as of this moment, but I will make sure that you return to your friends, and our family. Tell Elise and Camilla that I love them very much, and that I am sorry for not being a better brother to them, NOW GO!" Leo's eyes filled with tears as he shoved Corrin away, a shock from Bulverk kicking up under Leo's feet. He yelled out in pain as he hit the ground, glaring at Corrin as an order to leave. Corrin retrieved Yato and ran towards Leo, the fear of losing another member of his family weighing heavily on his heart.

"I WON'T ABANDON YOU! I'VE ALREADY LOST ONE BROTHER, I'M NOT LOSING ANOTHER!" Corrin screamed as he charged to Leo, managing to disapate a second blast from the mighty Bulverk with a swift swing of Yato. Garon shook his head, a creepy smile spreading across his hagered face.

"Can neither of you foolish children see that this is all futile? Nohr? Hoshido? I care for niether! All I wish for is that it all will all be burnt to cinder, leaving nothing left! And I will start by destroying the both of you!" Garon laughed hysterically, this time approaching the two brothers on foot. Corrin used his strength to drag Leo off the ground, desperately trying to make an escape. As Garon charged up Bulverk once more, the battle cries of a wyvern rung overhead. A lance flew to the ground from the sky, forcing Garon to stop his advance on Corrin and Leo.

"Get outta here! I'll fight the gorilla!" Scarlet cried out, diving down at Garon with great speed. Garon snarled, turning his attention to Scarlet as he raised Bulverk over his head. He then slammed the handle to the ground, causing an emmense surge of energy to rise from the ground, shredding the wings of Scarlet's wyvern with ease. Mozu came to Corrin's aid, putting Leo's other arm over her shoulder to make it easier to move. Corrin turned his eyes back to Scarlet, enraged tears forming in them as he watched her futility at stopping Garon. Corrin quickly turned his eyes away as he watchd Bulverk tear through Scarlet's armor like paper, dropping her to the ground in an instant.

"GRRR DAMN IT ALL!" Corrin howled, using all of his strength to carry Leo off on his own. Mozu gazed at her beloved Corrin with intense concern, knowing well that this was inevitable from the start. The roaring gallop of two horses hooves quickly approached the three of them with Silas and Charlotte riding on top of one with Camilla and Elise on the other. Both Benny and Effie were bringing up the rear as they saw the three dechevled comrades.

"Oh no! Leo!" Elise shouted, seeing blood pouring from his head as he winced in pain. Camilla immediately hopped off the horse, moving Mozu aside to try and help get Leo raised up onto the.

"Its OK, my poor Leo, you're safe now, we'll take care of you. Elise! Please heal him quickly!" Camilla assured softly rubbing his back as they hunched over the back of the horse. Elise turned around on the back of the horse, immediately resting her staff on Leo's back as he coughed up another gob of blood.

"L-Let me down...I'm...I'm too far gone now...I have to...Xander...I need to warn Xander about our father..." Leo coughed, forcing Camilla to hold him steady as he tried to struggle away. Leo watched as Camilla, Elsie and Corrin began to weep, grasping his hands strongly as Elise struggled to focus.

"What?! What's wrong with father?" Camilla inquired as another coughing fit stung Leo's throat. Elise focused with all of her heart, noticing that Leo's vitals were only slowly mending.

"Garon betrayed Leo. After Ryoma and I had Leo at blade point, Garon arrived and pinned Leo to the ground, declaring his life was forfeight...father has changed for the worst..." Corrin said, allowing Leo to save what strength he had left. Leo began to choke, grasping onto Camilla's and Corrin's hands for dear life as he felt his breathing thinning by the moment.

"Who...is that girl...brother...?" Leo said, turning his fading eyes to Mozu that stood at his side. Corrin could no longer see with all of his tears blinding him, trying his damndest to smile in such a moment.

"That is Mozu Leo...she is the one I have given my mind, body and soul to," Corrin said now clenching Leo's head to his forehead.

"Heh...look how...much you've grown, you even found a...suitable woman before me...I'm...proud of you Corrin..." Leo's coughing grew fiercer, Elise now pressing her healing staff to his back.

"No no no no! You can't die! NO NO! STOP IT!" Elise screamed as Leo's vitals continued to fade.

"Mozu...take care of my brother..." Leo said with a final gasp of air, his arms and hands going limp with Camilla's and Corrin's hands. Screams from the royal family cried to the heavens, bringing rain down on the wretched battlefield of tradgedy and forgiveness. Corrin's heart was now on fire with rage and sorrow, vowing to never let another person die if it can be prevented. The coalition made a hasty retreat, gaining allies in the aftermath of the battle of hell.

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: Fierce Dragon

Cheers and cries of joy filled the now flooded streets of Cheve with their victory against the Nohrian invasion. All of the proud soldiers that were able to return with their lives could be seen waving to the grateful crowd, taking in the victory and accepting it to the fullest. However, at the far end of Cheve, in the now dismal barracks of the Hoshidan rebellion forces, there were no cheers or war cries of victory, only silence from outside of its walls. Within its walls were scores of soldiers sadenned by their losses. But the reason for mourning wasn't for the simple loss of their forces, it was for a brave prince who sacrificed everything to allow their proud leader and the members of his family escape safely. Leo was laid out on top of a resting bed, his arms moved to rest on his chest while the rest of his body was straightened out.

Tears of rage and frustration crawled down Corrin's cheeks as he and Mozu knelt at Leo's side. Corrin's eyes weren't those of anguish or fear, they didn't communicate true sadness or sorrow; they were cold and fearsome, like that of a killer who had lost all emotions for what he had done. Mozu couldn't quite get a grasp of what this had done to her beloved Corrin, but she did know that he would need her now more than ever to get through this tough trial. While Mozu gently rubbed Corrin's back, all Corrin could do was to stare quietly into his Leo's face, brushing his hand through his hair slowly.

"Leo...you fool...if only you had ran when we had the chance you would still be with us...however, I can not be mad at you. You made your choice as not only a prince of Nohr, but as a man. I had never been more proud of you than in that moment alone just like my other brother, Takumi. Had the both of you met, I'm sure you would've become good friends, at least, after this damned war was over. I could never have asked for a better brother than you, one that looked past my terrible actions in the end and supported me even against our father's wishes countless times while growing up. I will not forget your last words for as long as I live..."Corrin's voice shook as he planted a kiss on his deceiced brother's forehead.

"Nothing will ever stand in my way of ending this damned war ever again...I will never allow another member of our family to be put to rest, and I will willingly sacrifice my own life before experiencing this horror again...I will tear down the walls of hell itself if I must and take the head of whoever is responsible. That, Leo, is my promise to you," Corrin scowled, clenching his teeth to fight back his tears as he grabbed Yato that was leaning next to the bed and turned away. Mozu grasped onto Corrin's arm, clearly seeing the pain and torment in Corrin's eyes as he tried to rip away.

"Corrin stop...I understand the pain you're going through, but you can't be wreckless...imagine what it would do to everyone else who is looking up to you to guide them. Or if nothing else, picture what it would do to me. Please, just stop and think..." Mozu urged on, grasping onto his arm hard enough to break it. Corrin sighed heavily, turning his cold eyes to meet with Mozu's bright beautiful ones; right now, Corrin could see nothing but the path ahead.

"That makes two of my brothers that are now dead thanks to me...how am I supposed to feel? I know that they both died by their own actions, but both were in protection of me. Who is next? Camilla? Elise? You? I am growing numb to the bloodshed but my heart won't allow me to look past my family and loved ones dying before my own eyes..." Corrin groaned, averting his eyes from Mozu's before guilt could attack his system. He forcibly yanked his arm from Mozu's grasp, tredging on towards the exit. Mozu huffed, chasing him until she could latch her arms around his waist. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath, now finding Ryoma to be standing in his path as well.

"I won't have you going off on your own to die Corrin. I see now what you meant by your words on that fateful day when I had regrettably cast you out...Prince Leo was his name was it? He truly was worthy to be called your brother and was a great man til the bitter end. He is the sole reason that I stand before you this very moment and he has my highest respects. You and I both have lost a brother, and I will be damned if I am to lose another Corrin. Stand down, don't let your anger lead you astray as it did me," Ryoma crossed his arms, glaring Corrin down like a form of prey. Corrin simply shut his eyes and took a heavy sigh, carefully calming his furious nerves to gain a rational mind.

"You now see what has happened from disbelieving me from the very beginning. Both of our brother's would be alive and well and we wouldn't be standing here right now debating on how you or I shall meet our end in the near future...Ryoma...I will ask you one last time...will you please join me, join us? Will you help me lead our soldiers into battle against our true foe and help prevent anymore losses of good lives to the best of our abilties? If you refuse this time Ryoma, consider me an enemy and end everything right here so that this meaningless war can continue on. But if you want to put an end to it all, please...help me..." Corrin's body tensed up as he fought back his sorrows with all of his might. As a leader, he must prove to not only his followers, but himself that he has the strength to lead. Ryoma sighed as a small smile curled on his lips. Looking Corrin dead in the eye, he rose his hand towards him, giving him a small nod.

"I will fight at your side brother, if it means putting an end to all of this madness. You have the entire nation of Hoshido behind you until this war is over and we will win it without failure. With these words I return the honor of your birthright to you, an oath that should have never been taken away. We fight with you, Corrin, until the end," Ryoma's words caused Corrin's whole morale to shoot skyward, causing a smile to spread across his face. Corrin grasped a hold of Ryoma's hand with all of his might, showing the strength of his cause and resolve.

"Thank you Ryoma...thank you. You truly are the man that I knew you could be. Do what you must do as the King of Hoshido; set up who stays and who goes, and we'll tredge forward into the enemy's heart," Corrin said, his nerves and tension finally melting away.

"When I say that the entire nation of Hoshido is behind you, I do not mean a handful of soldiers Corrin; I intend for your family to be by your side through it all. Your Nohrian family believes in you enough to follow you into the depths of hell, it would be cowardly of your Hoshidan family to not follow suit," Ryoma smirked, releasing Corrin's hand. Corrin then turned to Mozu who now was looking up at him with a new hope in her eyes and a brilliant smile to accompany it. Corrin leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers as they shared a moment of much needed rejoice. Blushing softly, she returned it lovingly, smiling as their lips parted.

"That's the Corrin I fell in love with. Don't lose sight of him again OK?" Mozu said. Corrin gave nod, giving her a hug before walking past her. Camilla and Elise could be seen talking to the departed Leo, both of them sharing the sorrows, regrets, and hopes for a new future. He edged up to Camilla's side, firmly placing his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"What is it, my sweet Corrin?" Camilla said with a wince, wiping tears from her amnethyst eyes. Corrin pulled her into a warm embrace, gently stroking her hair as they grasped on for dear life.

"I need you to deliver Leo to our kingdown...Garon only has Xander left to follow his orders and Xander would believe your words without a shadow of a doubt. Please, be safe...and be wary of Garon. If you can help it, try to avoid him at all costs because he will not hesitate to kill you as he did Leo. I'm sure the Hosidan's would supply you with a wyvern for the trip as well as plenty of restraints to keep Leo safely attached. Will you do this for me, my dear sister?" Corrin said, causing Camilla to grasp onto him tighter than before. She sighed heavily but smiled as she pulled away, gently moving Corrin's bangs from his face.

"Anything for you my sweet. If it means getting our dear brother Xander to join our cause, I would do anything that you would ask of me. And Corrin, darling, I promise to come back alive OK? I can't trust you and Xander to look after Elise, nether of you would have a clue of what to do," Camilla said with a soft giggle, rubbing her hand up and down Corrin's arm.

"Thank you Camilla, I know that Xander will appreciate you bringing Leo to him for a proper burial more than you'll realize. Think of it as a peace offering of sorts, just...a bit gerish. I'll keep Elise close to me, and with Effie by her side its next to impossible for anything to so much as touch her. So be rest assured on our end. Our meet up point will be chasm that I was first sent to on assignment, I know you remember its location. We'll all be waiting there for your arrival tomorrow at dawn. Please, be safe," Corrin said, as he moved her long lilac bangs from her face to plant a kiss on her forehead. Camilla's face was glowing with joy as she got up and grabbed her axe.

"I'll be back before you know it, wait for me OK?" Camilla said, walking off towards the stable. Elise on the other hand, wasn't taking any of this too well. As mature as she comes across, her heart has always been as fragile as glass. Corrin edged around Leo's bed to Elise's side, who was sobbing uncontrollably against her brother's chest.

"I'm so sorry Leo! I'm so sorry that I failed to save you! I-I could've saved you...I...I'm just a failure as a sister!" Elise cried loudly against Leo's chest. Corrin immediately turned Elise to face him, allowing her to latch onto him immediately to sob into his chest instead.

"I-I'm so sorry Corrin...I failed to save Leo! It's all my fault! Please forgive me!" Elise's voice was like that of a weeping angel, tradgic without an equal. Corrin sighed and gently ran his fingers through her hair, holding her head to his chest and rubbing her back softly. Meanwhile, Mozu pushed her way through dozens of busy bodies to reach the bed of her gravely wounded teacher. Finally coming up on her bed, she was suprised to see a number of restraints covering over the sheets that Oboro resided beneath. Orochi noticed Mozu looking uneasy and decided to come over and see what was wrong.

"Um...Ms. Oboro? Are you OK?" Mozu called out, still confused by all of the belts that latched her down.

"If your wondering, Oboro here refused to stay in bed after we patched her up. It was quite the hassle wrestling her down and keeping her there so she could heal properly. Don't worry Mozu, she's safe and sound," Orochi said, rustling Mozu's hair playfully like an older sister. Mozu looked at the odd restraints, using her brutish farm girl strength to unlatch them. To her surprise, the restraints put up quite a fight and must've been clamped down by someone quite strong. Oboro began to stir awake as Mozu pulled them off of the bed, immediately rushing to her side. Oboro let out a boarish yawn, yelping in pain as she attempted to stretch.

"ACK! Damn that hurt...oh. Hey Mozu, looks like you made it through the battle OK," Oboro said, smiling at her apprentice spearwoman. Mozu smiled wide and gave her a nod.

"Aim for the arms, disarm, then knock em' to the ground. Just like ya' taught me. My question is what the heck happened here?" Mozu let out a giggle as Oboro placed her hand upon her throbbing, pained head.

"I didn't want anything to happen to you or Corrin so I tried to escape my bed the moment they patched me up. I sorta injured a few of them so they had to strap me to the bed so I could heal, heh..." Oboro let a small laugh leave her lips as she gave the back of her head a small scratching. Mozu let out a sigh of relief as she pulled over a stool to plop down upon.

"So what's the current situation? Is everyone OK?" Oboro huffed, laying her head back down onto her pillow, taking a relieving sigh as she looked at the back of her eyelids.

"We only lost one crucial ally and a handful of infantry. It was Scarlet...she died in order to protect a lot of us...and Prince Leo of Nohr...he sacrificed his life to insure the safety of Lord Ryoma and Lord Corrin...aside from those two we lost maybe a dozen men, which is pretty darn lucky if you ask me," Mozu said, resting her hand on Oboro's forehead than her own to check her temperature.

"Well that's a relief...Scarlet was a true warrior so dieing on the battlefield would be her greatest honor, especially to ensure the safety of others. As for Prince Leo...how is Lord Corrin taking it?" Oboro held Mozu's hand in place due to its cool temperature. She slowly opened her eyes then shifted them to Mozu.

"It...hurt him quite badly. If it wasn't for me and Lord Ryoma he would've stomped outta the barracks like a mad bull. But now he's comforting his little sister, Princess Elise, since she's taking this the hardest of any of em'. But Lord Ryoma and Corrin are now allied and are ready to destroy the fiends behind this war, so heal up quickly alright?" Mozu replied, forming a smile on her face.

"Will do, just give me another 10 mintues and I'll be on my feet!" Oboro smirked, giving Mozu's hand a loving squeeze before letting her go. Mozu rushed off to find her beloved Corrin, being quickly replaced by Lord Ryoma himself.

"I'm glad to see you pulled through, I was worried that I might've killed you back there," Ryoma sighed, crossing his arms with guilt written all over his face.

"You know I'm too tough and stubborn to die that easily my lord, I still have a ways to go before I can keep my promise to Takumi," Oboro smiled slowly moving to sit up. She winced and griped in pain as she finally was upright, turning to hang her legs off the edge of the bed.

"Don't push yourself too hard, you need more rest," Ryoma lowered his arms to try and lay her back down. Oboro swatted his hand away and shook her head, gazing into his eyes with burning conviction.

"I have Lord Corrin to protect and I'm not about to let my injuries interfere with my job, so step aside my lord, there's much that I need to do," Oboro said, grunting painfully as she finally made it onto her feet. She grabbed a hold of half of her destroyed naginata and proceeded to use it as a crutch to get around. The melancholic atmosphere of the base slowly grew into a rally, everyone gathering up together to formulate a plan to strike at the belly of the beast that was tearing the whole world apart.

"Thanks for mounting me up so quickly, you are all darlings to me. You better make sure my dear brother is latched in properly or else I'll be coming back and taking your heads, understood?" Camilla ordered about, preparing for her ride back to Krakenburg. She found a pleseant surprise heading her way, catching sight of Corrin who was talking with Ryoma. They gave each other a strong, familial embrace before Corrin walked right on over to her.

"Elise requested that I go with you and I think it'll be the best course of action if we are to make it out of the castle in one piece. We're running out of time so saddle up!" Corrin ordered as he climbed up onto the wyvern, he offered out his hand to help Camilla up, getting a grand smile from her in response.

"Still such a gentleman, thank you. Now you better hold on tight to me my sweet, I don't need you falling off while I'm in full speed," Camilla smirked, grasping his forearms to wrap his arms around her waist. She signaled for the loaders to stand back, giving the wyvern a loving pet on its head.

"Hold on tight, this is gonna get rough!" Camilla laughed whipping the reigns to go into a vertical lift. The wyvern let out a dastardly cry, warning all those in the way that they were prey as its strong wings air lifted them without fail. After making a quick circle around the barracks, they flew off with a strong gust pushing them onward. Corrin held onto Camilla for dear life, pressing his body complete against her to prevent any wind drag between them. Camilla couldn't help but to reach down and give his hands an affectionate squeeze, whipping on the reigns to signal a speed up.

"So, how was your fun night with Mozu a few days ago?" Camilla's question brought for a flustered Corrin, who now planted his forehead into her back.

"How do you know about that?!" Corrin shouted, making his words fight against the wind. Camilla wiggled her rear against him, teasing him as she whipped the reigns again.

"You two weren't exactly quiet you know, you were banging on the wall a bit. I had to cover Elise's ears to keep her from awakening," Camilla snickered, causing Corrin's grasp tighten from embarassment.

"Ah jeeze, is this really the best time to be asking me this?!" Corrin groaned, the wyvern's frame shifting from a strong tailwind.

"Aw come on, you can tell your big sister anything. So come on, give me some details, I have to make sure she's good enough for you," Camilla shouted, quickly lowering their altitude to gain more visibility. Corrin shrugged and smiled, nuzzling his cheek to her back.

"It was very nice if you must know. She was very gentle with me until we thought we were ready. I guess it got a little intense since niether of us had done it before," Corrin replied, causing a loud giggle to ring in her throat.

"Sounds like she's more then meets the eye. She just looks like a mousey country girl to me. I guess she's more bold in the bedroom, I can approve of that," Camilla snickered shifting to the left while dropping their altitude further, now being able to see for miles in all directions.

"This is incredible! I've never been so high up before!" Corrin laughed with joy, his eye taking in everything around them with a child's curiosity as they soared through the skies. Camilla turned to look back at him, smiling warmly at his childlike display of wonder.

"It is certainly breathtaking, but its very unsafe, I'm only doing it so we can reach Krakenburg faster. How's Leo back there?" Camilla said, yanking back on the reigns to raise altitude. Upon rising another wicked tailwind began to push them onward, causing Corrin to grasp on tight once more as he turned to look.

"He's secure. I don't think he's going anywhere," Corrin replied. The trip to Krackenburg from Cheve took quite a bit of time which wore the two siblings out from fatigue. As they were closing in on the castle, she quickly noticed the large arbalests that were strung upon the defensive wall turning in their direction. She grit her teeth in dismay as tightened her grip on the reigns.

"Hang on tight Corrin! They've targeted us with their arbalests!" Camilla shouted at the top of her lungs as she snapped the reigns to dive downward. Camilla's control of the wyvern began to shine like the sun as she whipped it around, avoiding the large bolts that tried to drop them back down to the earth. Silence fell between them as she flew threw the barrage, narrowly dodging several shots that were inches away from taking them out.

"I see the stable! I'm going in!" Camilla cried out, snapping the reigns once more. The wind force that sliced at their skin grew sharp and wild as she dove towards the ground like a rock. Just as they were about to catch the clear, an arbalest shot managed to put a hole in the wyvern's right wing, causing it to roar out in agony. Camilla growled as she yanked the reigns, forcing it to try and fly up as it plummeted to the ground. With a little luck they managed to make a harsh landing, the wyvern using all of its strength to keep from toppling on arrival. The moment the two of them leapt off the poor wyvern's back, soldiers immediately swarmed them like bees, all of them shouting and yelling with their weapons drawn. Corrin nor Camilla drew their weapons as both Laslow and Peri both emerged from the crowd, both of them glaring at the two new arrivals.

"You have some nerve showing up here you createn! Leave this instant or else I shall be forced to take your life, just as you took both my friend's lives!" Laslow spat, his eyes glaring directly at Corrin with murder in his eyes. Peri began to giggle aloud as she Camilla, thrusting her spear merely inches from her face. Camilla didn't so much as blink as she turned her eyes up to Peri's.

"You all better leave before I go stabby stabby! Lord Xander gave us strict orders to kill anyone who dares enter within the walls without saying pleeeaassseee," Peri snickered, her spear shifting to Corrin's face. Corrin grasped a hold of the tip of Peri's spear, gazing up at her with ferocity in his eyes.

"Please...step aside...we have a family matter to tend to with Xander. It is of dire importance." Corrin snarled, releasing it with a shove back at Peri. Peri's eyes widened at the fearless display, causing her to shake and clench her teeth together angrily.

"My lord Xander said under no conditions am I to let anyone by! So sorry for you, but you'll have to die now!" Peri cackled, thrusting her lance ferociously at Corrin. Corrin growled, snatching her spear with his bare hands. She tried to pull it free with all of her might, but Corrin overpowered her, yanking her onto the ground with a thud. A few of her soldiers immediately charged him, only to be cut down by Camilla's vicious axe. Corrin immediately tossed her lance to the side, stepping onto her stomach as he drew Yato, pointing the tip of his blade at her neck.

"Call your troops down now! I have already led to many good men to their death's...please don't make me add you on to that list...just let us see Xander, then we will be on our way...understood?" Corrin sighed heavily, glaring in Peri's eyes like a beast.

"Get off me or you will be sorry!" Peri snapped back, whipping her hands onto to his leg in an attempt to pull him off. More troops attempted to attack him once more, only to be slaughtered in an instant.

"Please stop trying to kill my darling. Unlike his sweet, loving heart, I will have no regrets in killing all of you. Let us pass or die!" Camilla snickered, smiling wide at the remainder of the troops. Laslow could no long watch this pitiful display, immediately attacking Camilla with all of his might.

"That bastard killed both of the people that meant everything to me in my life, I will have him getting by over my dead body!" He yelled, clashing with Camilla's axe with a loud clang.

"Just try to disarm him Camilla, don't kill him!" Corrin cried, fighting against Peri's grasp on his foot. Corrin stabbed his sword next to Peri's head, lightly slicing the side of her neck in an instant.

"STOP TRYING TO FORCE MY HAND AND LET US THROUGH!" Corrin screamed in her face, stomping his foot down onto her stomach violently to break her grasp. She let out shrieks of pain, every inch of her resistance going wayward from the pain.

"Sorry for this handsome, but we can't have any more delays," Camilla sighed, forcefully knocking Laslow's sword from his hand then bashing the back side of her axe against the back of his neck, putting him into the dirt in an instant. More soldiers made a battlecry, ready to charge the two of them with all of there might.

"Stop this at once!" an authoritative voice roared. All soldiers stopped in their tracks, the loud galloping sounds of a horse approaching them like a freight train. The stallion in question came to a screeching halt, crying out angrily as his reigns were yanked to stop. Xander glared down at Camilla and Corrin, shaking his head.

"Release my retainers at once unless you wish to taste the sting of Seigfried..." Xander grumbled as if trying to show some form of restraint in his attitude. Without delay, Camilla and Corrin backed down, immediately sheathing their weapons once more.

"You two better have a damn good reason to show yourselves to me you traitors..." Xander said, pointing the tip of Seigfried at the both of them. Corrin immediately turned back to the poor, injured wyvern they arrived on, unlatching their precious cargo from its back. His eyes began to sting with tears as he carefully hauled it over to them, gently laying onto the ground as Laslow and Peri retreated. Corrin couldn't help but to shut his eyes greviously as he unfolded the sheets that covered his dearly departed. Xander's eyes widened and stared catatonicly as Leo was revealed before his very eyes. He dropped Siegfried to the ground in shock as he quickly leapt off of his mount, diving to the ground to gain a closer look.

"No...this can not be..." Xander said, carefully shifting Leo's head around to get a better look to make sure he wasn't mental. A few tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he hugged his brothers head to his chest. Corrin and Camilla sighed heavily, watching the valiant and paragonal Xander completely losing his composure as his feelings rushed through his system.

"Who did this to him...give me his name!" Xander barked, turning his sad gaze as it turned into that of rage. Both Camilla and Corrin looked at one another then back at Xander.

"Father did this Xander...father is the one that killed Leo," Camilla said, grasping her arm tightly as she began to shake with anger. Xander brushed Leo's hair to the side to gain one last gaze at his dearly departed brother before laying him back out. He shuffled his hand around the ground to grab a hold of Siegfreid, clasping onto it angrily before pointing it at the two of them.

"I won't be taken in by your lies! Father would never do something as horrible as this! I won't have you dragging his name through the mud for your dirty deed!" Xander snarled, Sigfreid beginning to glow. He first pointed it to Corrin, then slowly moved the tip towards Camilla who was now gazing into Xander's eyes; fearless with no remorse.

"I didn't expect this from you Camilla...I expected you to fulfill your duty and bring our little sister back to us, but instead you joined with this traitor?! How dare you turn your back on your own country!" Xander roared, Seigfreid shining brightly. Camilla closed her eyes and clenched her fists tightly, ready to accept whatever fate she was destined to endure. The loud crashing sound of metal grinding against one another rang infront of her, causing her eyes to open to see her dear Corrin guarding her from Xander's wrath.

"Camilla had nothing to do with this Xander nor did I! Leo sacrificed himself to save us both from father's wrath! Why would I tell you such a rediculous lie when I've brought back our brother's body for you to see?! You didn't even see the rest of his body! Stand down and I can prove it to you!" Corrin yelled back, causing Xander to hold back his temper once more. With a murderous gaze in his eyes, Xander stepped back for a minute allowing for Corrin to explain with action. Corrin unrolled the rest of the sheet, revealing the grizzly wounds that led to his death; his legs were charred as if seared by vicious lightning with one of his legs knarled like a twig from an elderly tree. Shocked filled Xander's face, quickly recognizing the horrifying marks all over his poor brother.

"Those look like burns from Bulverk...I've seen what that terrifying weapon is capable of on numerous accounts...but that just can't be! Why would father do something so horrible?!" Xander's teeth began to clench tightly with Seigfreid beginning to cast its ghastly glow once more.

"Because he failed to kill me Xander. At the battle of Cheve, he and I had to battle it out. In the end I won the battle; I forced him to submit and to surrender because I refused to take his life. That's when Garon, our father, came from the stronghold's gate. Leo was able to break free of my grasp but was then pinned down by Garon's foot. He stomped into Leo's back so hard that I heard it crack through his armor. Father even told Leo that he woudl be dealt with after he disposed of myself and the others. Leo...he sacrificed himself to ensure my escape...I took him with me to try and have Elise heal him while we retreated, but...he was too far gone to save...face it Xander, Garon isn't the man he used to be..." Corrin let out a overwhelming sigh, sheathing Yato and moving down to pick up Leo into his arms.

"I brought him back to prove to you what your actions have cost us. Had you just listened to me to begin with Xander on that dreadful day that you casted me out, Leo would be alive right now. Lord Ryoma, the King of Hoshido, even witnessed how heroic and outstanding Leo acted to protect us all from father's wrath. Ryoma was almost brought to tears over his sacrifice that he had made to save us and would've willingly given his life to safe his. That is what horrors our father has caused and that is the terror of what our true enemy is capable of...I also brought him back out of respect...he deserves a proper burial befitting both an incredible man and a prince. I wouldn't dare let my own brother rot on the battlefield..." Corrin's eyes became blinded by tears that now slid down his cheeks, lightly dripping onto Leo's chest as he held him firm. Xander sheated Seigfreid then took Leo into his own arms, craddling him securely while Corrin pulled it together.

"I've always been able to tell when you were lying and when you were speaking the truth growing up Corrin...I can see it in your eyes that what you can Camilla are preaching to me must be true. Fortunately, father has yet to return from his last battle that he was forced to accompany, so we have a fair amount of time to prepare a proper burial. However...I suggest that we make haste if we are to make way towards the destination of our true enemy which I trust Corrin knows of...as much as I'd like to say what you have said to father, I already know what his actions would be...and I can't settle for that after what he has done to my beloved little brother. Let us prepare immediately, Corrin, Camilla, please accompany me," Xander said, hauling off Leo with the rest of everyone following him. Both Laslow and Peri refused to drop their dirty looks at Corrin, still despising him for such actions while trying to accept the fact that Xander was pardoning them with forgiveness. Although their stay at home was to be short lived, Corrin was finally able to acquire the final piece of the puzzle to prepare his army to attack at the heart of the wicked evils behind the madness.

To Be Continued...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Uniting Under the Banner Part 1: The Battle of Kaen Peak

"Xander, I propose that we take a detour from the meeting place. I heard that the wolfskin of Kaen Peak are ferocious fighters, maybe we could convince them to join forces with us before attacking the other world," Corrin pointed out on the map that they carried with them. After making camp about 10 miles out from Krakenburg, the Nohrian family decided that it would be a good idea to set a battle plan for their travels arrival and everything in between. Xander thought carefully on the idea, trying to figure if it were to be with the journey and resources while Camilla helped tend to her poor wyvern that had sustained minor injuries as a result of their siege on Krakenburg castle.

"I'm not sure that would be wise. The wolfskin only ever leave the peak to go on hunts for resources and supplies. I highly doubt they would trust an army marching right up to their territory, demanding things of them without any compensation or viable reasoning. It is an admirable idea, but I don't think that it would be in our best interest," Xander replied, his leadership and consideration for his men ringing as clearly as a bellowing bell. Corrin took the words to heart as he traced what the path would be if they were to partake in the endeavor. Corrin noticed the rustling sounds of steps approaching him from behind, a very familiar seductive snicker clearly identifying them.

"You know darling, I could always scout the area to see what the status of their numbers would be; it wouldn't be worth the trip if there were only a handful of them to bring along. That is...if you wish me to, " Camilla said, giving Corrin a warm hug from behind. Corrin's face turned red as her sizeable chest smooshed up against him, providing a warm, comforting back rest when leaning back against her. She nuzzled against his cheek, the sorrow of losing their dear brother still weighing heavily on her heart. Corrin sighed and smiled, resting his hands over hers as he gently leaned back.

"That would be a major help. For all we know they could be in hiding because of this war or even they could be out on patrol for soldiers. Having eyes in the sky would definitely help us determine if it would be worth the trip. Camilla, I will take you up on that offer, however, make sure your wyvern is in top shape before you leave, last thing we need is for it to get hurt and stranding you up there," Corrin said, removing Camilla's arms from him so that he could turn to face her. Camilla grinned as she rustled his hair playfully, overjoyed from Corrin insisting on her duty.

"I will do as you command, "Lord" Corrin," Camilla said with a wink and a laugh, immediately turning back towards the direction of her wyvern. Xander shrugged at the display shaking his head in response.

"This is your army Corrin, but please be wary of their safety before planning anything further, understood? Having now commanded an army, there are several key things you have keep in mind. I won't smother you with the details right now, but know I will call you out if you are to do something out of place or incorrect. I won't have my brother becoming a poor commander under my supervision," Xander let a smirk leave his face before turning towards his men, Peri and Laslow on standbye chatting amongst themselves. The strange sounds of a horse began to ring from overhead, immediately putting the army at attention as they turned their heads to the sky. Corrin's eyes turned to the sky as well, but unlike the rest, a smile curled on his lips. Coming into view just above the trees, Hinoka, along with two passengers could be seen riding on her powerful pegasus, looking for a fair place to land.

Another pegasus's cry soon followed after as well, revealing Subaki, one of Sakura's retainers accompanying them with another two passengers as well. Corrin made sure to put the army at ease as he waved them down no more then 50 feet from where he was standing. On Hinoka's pegsus, two smiles were waiting for him; Oboro and Mozu jumped down from the saddle, immediately making their way to Corrin with much haste. Mozu ran ahead of Oboro, throwing her arms around Corrin in an instant.

"I'm so glad you're OK! I was worried about you. Princess Hinoka was nice enough to drop me and Oboro off so that we could help protect you since that's our job y'know?" Mozu said with a grin, her forehead recieving a soft kiss from Corrin before waving at Hinoka.

"Ryoma said that he has set up a plan to seek out other allies in order to build our forces, he said it shouldn't take any longer than 3 to 4 days and that I will be the one delivering the message of the arrival. Also...I missed you...I'm so glad you're alright. I knew it had to be you who saved me a good while back during that seige on Nohr, thank you for that. I had a chance to talk to Mozu on the way here as, is it really true that you two are to be betrothed?" Hinoka asked with a gleem of excitement in her eyes. It was her brother growing up in the blink of an eye, so any sort of involvement she could get in the matter was of the upmost importance to her.

"You could say that. Mozu has proven to be an incredible help to both the army and myself, she's very sweet but can be tough when it matters. After this cursed war is over, I want to betrothed properly as a sign of both victory and resolve. So yes, she is Hinoka. And I'm glad to see you are doing well, hopefully the skirmishes between Nohr and Hoshido haven't been too overly difficult for you," Corrin replied, Hinoka winked and smiled, shrugging her shoulders playfully as she stretched out.

"Nah, nothing I couldn't handle. If anything you should be worried about them instead of me," Corrin joined her in a laugh as a small tug on his arm pulled his attention away. He turned his head to see Sakura grasping his arm, smiling nervously up at him as Mozu let him go.

"I'm here to help you with whatever you need Corrin, and I brought Hinata and Subaki as well. So know that you won't be too short handed on good soldiers," Sakura's warm smile could melt the heart of any man, and Corrin was no exception. Corrin turned to give her a small hug, her face turning red as he gently rubbed her back.

"Thanks Sakura, it really means a lot to have you here with me," Corrin said, giving her an affectionate squeeze before letting her go.

"I would love to stay but I need to report back to Lord Ryoma. Be safe Corrin and wait for me to come again! As long as you just keep heading east, I'll be able to find you, take care til then!" Hinoka shouted, quickly mounting her steede and taking to the sky. Corrin watched as she made a circle around before jetting off back towards the east to report back to their brother. Hana and Subaki immediately moved to Sakura's side, greeting the brother that she had missed for so long.

"So you're the one leading the charge huh? You must be a very good fighter and you have to have a lot of guts to lead. I think we'll get along great," Hana said with a smirk while Subaki leaned forward to analyze him carefully.

"Yes, I can see how you're going to be a great leader. I'm sure your form in battle is nothing short of perfection. I'm happy to fight by your side," Subaki grinned, leaving Corrin a little uncomfortable. Sudden, Hana and Subaki both grew tense as a pair of footsteps came up from behind Corrin.

"My wyvern is ready to go, just say the word darling and I'll be off. And who is that Corrin, the cute one with the reddish hair," Camilla asked, gazing at Sakura as if she were prey.

"That is princess Sakura of Hoshido, my little sister by birth. She and her retainers are going to be accompanying us for awhile," Corrin said, Camilla now maneuvering around him. Sakura and Subaki went to draw their weapons, only to have Sakura wave her hands for them to yield. Slowly she walked out from between them, blushing lightly as she gazed up at Camilla. Her shy smile graced Camilla's presence as she bowed formally to her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, princess Camilla. I had no idea Corrin had such a pretty...um...sibling. I hope that we can see each other as family and allies instead of enemies from now on," Sakura said, warming Camilla's heart with her words. Camilla smiled wide as she approached her, immediately pulling her into a big, warm hug. Sakura's face heated up, realizing that her head was being pulled directly into Camilla's cleavage.

"My word you are so adorable! Allies isn't the right word for us Sakura, we are going to be family from here on. Just think of me as another one of your big sisters from now on OK?" Camilla smirked, Sakura nervously trying to break free of Camilla's might. Camilla then released her from her maternal grasp, stooping down to her level to get a better look at her.

"U-Um OK...Camilla," Sakura said, this time smiling comfortably. Camilla leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her forehead, gently petting her head as a sign of affection. She left Sakura with a soft pat on her cheek before standing up and returning her attention back to Corrin.

"She's so cute, I bet she and our little Elise will get along great with her. So...would you like me to go ahead and take off dear?" Camilla asked Sakura covering her face in embarassment but smiling all the same as she turned to Subaki and Hana. Corrin smiled at the awkward yet warm display of affection, giving Camillla a small nod of confirmation.

"Go ahead and lift off Camilla, make sure you get a good look at what's in store. It should be north from here about 30 kilometers give or take. Be safe Camilla," Corrin said giving his loving a sister a firm grasp on her shoulder. Camilla removed his hand from her should, gently nuzzling up against it with her cheek before parting from him.

"I'll be back before you know it," Camilla said, heading towards the direction of her dear wyvern. Mozu and Oboro's training could be heard only 30 feet away, there weapons clashing along the staff portions. Corrin turned to see Oboro taking complete control over the sparring match, hooking her naginata behind Mozu's ankles to bring her down into the dirt. Corrin decided to take a seat on a stump to observe the training regimine.

"Ouch! That really hurt Oboro," Mozu said, rubbing along her ankle and calf as Oboro let out a soft sigh.

"From here on out I'm going to be trying much harder against you. I think you're capable enough to advance from here, but you need to focus. If you can't even stand toe to toe with me, how are you going to protect Lord Corrin? That's the motivation that needs to drive you to do your best," Oboro said, lowering her hand down to Mozu. Mozu put on her game face, giving her a nod as she took her hand. Once Mozu was back on her feet, she took a heavy breath, grasping the naginata with both of her hands tightly.

Oboro got into her stance, immediately going for a strong swing from the side. Mozu shifted her naginata to the side, knocking back the blow; Oboro then swurved around, swinging the bottom half of her naginata at Mozu as hard as she could. Mozu turned and blocked the blow once more, only this time she found herself being pushed back by its might.

"How are you still so strong while being injured?" Mozu groaned, her face growing frustrated as she deflected another strike from overhead. Oboro ignored the comment, spinning her naginata over head before swinging down to kill. Mozu rolled to the side, batting at Oboro's ankles with a firm sweep. Oboro swiftly hopped up, stomping both of her feet down on it which tore it clean from her hands. Oboro kicked it to the side, using her body's motion to build momentum on her next swing. Oboro's swing was so fierce it was if she was cutting the air, forcing Mozu to raise up her wrists to guard the staff end. Wind swept up from around them as a result of the down force of Oboro's swing, a loud grunt of pain coming from Mozu as the staff portion smashed into Mozu's protective guards on her wrists and hands, cracking them on impact. Oboro let out a heavy sigh, removing her naginata off of Mozu.

"I'm sorry about that...Lord Takumi came into my mind and I kind of lost control of what I was doing. You aren't hurt too bad are you?" Oboro said, offering her hand to Mozu. Mozu grasped a hold of her hand, helping herself up as Oboro displayed only a slight twitch of pain.

"It's alright, I'm mostly just impressed to be honest. I never realized how strong you really are. Even though you're injured, you were able to strike at me hard enough to crush a rock. I can only dream of being as strong as you Oboro!" Mozu said with a bright, hopeful smile. Oboro couldn't help but to blush at such praises, smiling back as she placed her hand on Mozu's shoulder.

"It won't be a dream for long as long as you keep your determination up. The reason I'm so strong is from training for years on end and because I fight for a cause, and someone I care about. Even though he is gone now, Lord Takumi still lives in my heart, and gives me the strength I need to help those in need and to defeat any foe. And now I must put my life on the line for Lord Corrin as well. I know that you fight for Lord Corrin with all of your heart, its only your skills that need honeing. As long as you can keep up with me, you'll be able to defeat any foe. Believe, and you shall prevail," Oboro said, a warm smiled shining on Mozu before walking past. Mozu couldn't believe how wonderful a teacher she had found and it became her new goal to impress her at all costs.

"I will make you proud Oboro," Mozu said to herself before turning to Corrin, who was still looking over the map with Xander. Hours went by as the camp continued on; strategizing, resting and training, all three of these things made the camp a living entity. Suddenly the howling of a wyvern roared overhead, quickly coming down with a disruptive landing. Dust and wind kicked up a gust, dispersing for several feet before Camilla could be seen.

"Corrin, Xander! Kaen Peek is under heavy assault from a Nohrian militia! They are trying to defend themselves, but they are fighting an awful losing battle from what I could see. Now is our chance to strike, if we can save them, I'm sure they will join us in our cause. Just say the word Corrin dear," Camilla's face was rather grim, which was clearly a testament to the visual display she had caught earlier.

"What are your orders Corrin? We will stand by your decision," Xander said, placing his hand firmly on Corrin's shoulder with a smirk. Corrin smiled, his eyes burning with anticipation as he took a hefty breath.

"EVERYONE! WE ARE TO SET OFF FOR KAEN PEEK IMMEDIATELY! EVERYONE GATHER YOUR GEAR, FORE WE MUST MAKE HASTE!" Corrin yelled at the top of his lungs, causing an uproar of battle cries to surge from their encampment. Camilla touched ground, patting behind her as she gazed at Corrin and his retainers.

"Hop on everyone, we're headed straight for the top!" Camilla said with a devilish smile, helping Corrin up on the wyvern with Mozu and Oboro right behind them, quickly grasping onto each other tightly as the crack of the wyvern's reigns cracked through the air. Without delay, Camilla took off, circling the camp once more before heading towards the top. Subaki immediately ran back to his pegasus, doing the same for both Hana and Sakura.

"Hang on you two, I'm not about to let that Nohrian beat us there!" Subaki said with a grin, yanking on the reigns as soon as Sakura and Hana were securely in. Xander whistled for his mount, which quickly came charging to its master from across the camp. Xander immediately hoisted himself on top, withdrawing Seigfried to catch the camps attention as he turned his gaze. Before he could call out to the troops, a strangely familiar face managed to grace Xander's presence. Huffing loudly, Jacob stopped to catch his breath before returning his gaze up towards Xander.

"Terribly sorry my lord for my absence, it was quite the hassle gathering up supplies with only a handful of men to haul them. Please, have the army properly equip themselves before we charge off. Xander let out a silly scoff and gave Jacob a good pat on the shoulder.

"Good man, I'm glad to see you are safe Jacob. But I'm afraid there is no time for that now. Distribute it to the troops who are riding on mount then prepare yourself for battle, we're going to be charging up the mountain to Kaen Peek," Xander informed, leaving Jacob to bow and turn about face.

"Your wish is my command my lord, I shall make haste with the distribution," Jacob said, running off back towards his small convoy. Xander lightly tugged on his horses reigns, giving its head a soft pat on its head before turning to the camp.

"Everyone get it together and come with me, I'll lead the ground forces to the top! We're are going to immediately be running straight into a battle, so stay at the ready from here on out. Is that understood?!" Xander announced to the rest of the camp, the roaring cries continuing as the sounds of horse hooves shook the air.

Meanwhile, the Nohrian forces attacking the peak finally broke through the wolfskin's wall of defense, leaving them ready to charge the heart of the base. Masses of wolfkin decided to tighten up formation, gathering together to fight to the death against the wicked foes approaching. Standing on top of a tree branch overhead, Keaton shielded his eyes from the sun to get a better look at their foe.

"It looks like we have an army of at least a hundred men heading this way...this could be fun hehe. Alright everyone, its time to hunt!" Keaton cried out, hopping down off of the tree. Turning into his beast form he landed upon the ground, letting out a war cry to rally the rest of his brothern. Howls filled the air as they charged into the brush and terrain, ready to pounce on the enemy at any given moment. Keaton stayed back with the main forces, ready to protect their home should the worst come to pass.

"This isn't good at all...we are majorly out numbered. This will be a tough fight..." Keaton sighed, a small hoard of Nohrian soldiers already breaching the forest's edge. Keaton howled to get the attention of his brethern, all of them now charging on all fours towards the foe. Mass exchanges of blows roared through the sky, both howls of the wolfkin and cries of the soldiers desperately trying to grasp their dying breaths. Keaton growled furiously as he watched two more of his dear friends being cut down, their overwhelming determination being ultimately expunged.

"You'll pay for that!" Keaton snarled, quickly shifting into his beast form. With furious claws swining and lightning fast reflexes, Keaton carved his mark into soldier after soldier, stabbing them through their chests and necks to finish them off. Seeing more and more troops beginning to flood their main front, Keaton roared aloud, causing all the wolfskin in one piece to reconveine from a swift retreat. Keaton's eyes widened fearfully as a barrage of arrows whistled through the air. He tried to call out to a pack of his friends, but the arrows dug into their bodies, dropping them dead before they could react.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Keaton growled, turning back towards the Nohrian forces to take them on himself. Suddenly, the loud neighing of a horse and the startling cries of a wyvern rang from overhead, immediately landing at his sides. Corrin, Mozu, Oboro, Hana and Sakura immediately jumped off to the ground, Subaki and Camilla lifting off once more as they drew their weapons.

"What the...who are you people?!" Keaton yelped in surprise. Oboro, Mozu and Hana immediately charged the front while Corrin and Sakura hung back for a moment to explain.

"We're from the Corrin Coalition, we're here to help fight these foes that dare disturb your home," Sakura said, bowing then immediately running off to the wolfskin that were breathing heavily with severe wounds, barely clinging to life as they tried to claw themselves back to the battlefield.

"I'm Corrin, the leader of the Coalition. One of our scouts was taking sight of the area and spotted Nohrian troops headed here. With both of our powers combined, I'm sure we can take this army out with ease," Corrin said, offering out his hand. Keaton's tail began to wag vigorously as he shook Corrin's hand with both of his own, his face filled with a renewed spirit.

"I'm Keaton, I'm the head of this pack of Wolfskin. I'm so glad to have your help! We gotta show the guys that they stepped into the wrong territory! Let's get to it shall we?" Keaton grinned, turning with Corrin to join the front line of combat.

"Aw come on, can't you guys do better than this? I'm hardly trying!" Hana laughed, cutting down two more Nohrian soldiers. She swiftly dodged a swinging axe as if it were nothing more than an afterthought, quickly spinning around to stab the axeman through his stomach. Quickly removing it with her full strength, she cleaved into another soldier's side, dropping him to the ground. As a swordsman was about to catch Hana on her blindspot, Oboro immediately made a dash, leaping off of a log and bringing down her naginata to send him to his grave. The two Hoshidans began to fight back to back, as if in a dance as they covered one another.

"Jeeze and I thought this was supposed to be an invasion, such a let down," Oboro laughed, sweeping out another soldier from his legs before slashing at his exposed throat. Mozu ran back the way they came, immediately seeking out Corrin to protect. Unaware of the terrain, Mozu found herself tripping on an exposed root, putting her into a pile of piled brush and leaves. Standing up, she immediately found herself surrounded by a small squad of swordsman, who were now circling her like vultures.

"I have to be strong...I have to be strong...I HAVE TO BE STRONG!" Mozu shouted, spinning in a circle to wrecklessly swing her naginata at her first foe. He managed to dodge the initial swing, but ended up losing ground as he blade came back around to slash into his ankles. As if in a trance, as another swordsman swung at her, Mozu immediately blocked the swing. She turned her weight to the side, shoving the sword away with ease. Continuing her momentum, she spun once more, her naginata arching then digging harshly into the soldier's shoulder. He cried out in agony as Mozu's face turned to the others, her eyes were focused and her spirit's strenght soaring.

"I won't let you keep me from Corrin!" Mozu shouted, taking a broad swing along the ground. The soldiers each leapt back, putting themselves out of her reach, but within reach of the hidden allies that were scrounging the area. Before Mozu had a chance to fully recover, 3 wolfskin emerged from the bushes, each of them slashing and taking down a soldier with ease.

"Whew, thanks!" Mozu said before charging on her path to find Corrin. Corrin and Keaton stayed close as they trounced into the wooded area, slashing and cutting down each foe that dared to intercept them. Corrin couldn't help but to watch in amazement as Keaton shifted back into his beastly form, taking down a whole platoon of soldiers that tried to swarm him.

"Keaton hang tight, I'll cut down on the troops from the front!" Corrin shouted, moving to the front just past the swarms of soldiers buzzing around Keaton like flies. The stomps of knights lightly shook the ground as they made a charge at Corrin and Keaton. Corrin stood his ground as five knights emerged from the brush.

"I can't handle them with just my sword...I guess I have no choice..." Corrin sighed as he sheathed Yato. He tossed his blade to the side, his body now tensing up as energy gradually consumed his frame. A loud roar emerged from the residual energy clouds, Corrin dashing through it in his dragon form. Charging ferociously, he immediately bashed his head into one of the knight, shoving him back before turning in a full circle. Corrin's vicious tail whipped into their armor piercing it with little to no resistance.

Keaton continued to swipe the soldiers off of him, staring in awe at Corrin's transformation as he went. In mere moments Corrin had taken down the charging knights, leaving them to groan and cry on the ground. Corrin whipped around, swinging his raw claw through the mass of infantry surrounding Keaton, tearing two of them away from him. Corrin immediately swung around once more, his tail now silencing the two poor infantry.

"Nice one! I've never seen a dragon before!" Keaton said, shifting back into his normal form as he put an end to the other three soldiers that were on him. Corrin shifted back into his normal form as well, grabbing Yato of the ground and re-equipping it to his side.

"Trust me, I'm still not used to being one," Corrin replied, sighing softly to gather his composure once more. The battle began to turn to a neutral favor as Corrin's coalition joined the fray, however, a surprise awaited the ground troops who were ready to storm the mountain. Xander held Seigfried out to his side, immediately cutting down soldier after soldier that stood in his way.

"Lord Xander you gotta come back! You're getting tooooooooo far ahead!" Peri whined as he left her and Laslow in the dust. Suddenly, soldiers magically appeared before Xander, spooking his horse into a standstill. The soldiers were somewhat translucent, with the sounds of their weapon shrieking as they were drawn. Then a familiar fit of laughter made Xander's stomach grow ill with disgust, turning to the side to see the problematic factor that stood in his way.

"My word! What would the crown prince of Nohr be doing in such a frivelous setting? Getting some fresh air? Betraying his kingdom? I suppose you could be here for many reasons, but none of them warrant you to start a battle here," Iago scoffed, glaring down at Xander with a sickly smile upon his face. Xander gripped a hold of his reigns tightly, glaring back with eyes of illrepute.

"I would never turn my back on my kingdom, I'm here to fix what damage that my father has done to Nohr's reputation and my family! I ask you, why are you here Iago? Are you here to mindlessly slaughter a bunch of wolves for your own entertainment?!" Xander shouted, pointing Seigfried at his head. Iago's sickening laughter turned from amused to sadistic in the blink of an eye, now pointing his hand in Xander's direction.

"I'm here upon orders from King Garon. He said I am to return you back to the castle alive, however, should you resist, your safety won't be guaranteed...What say you "prince" Xander?" Iago's gritty words and pompous gestures made Xander's blood boil as he turned and stared at his troops. After a few minutes he then returned his expression back to Iago, this time with a confident grin on his face.

"I SAY WE FIGHT! ALL UNITS, CHARGE THE PEAK!" Xander yelled out, circling around to build momentum for his charge. Peri immediately charged up next to Xander while Laslow helped direct the others forward. Iago sneered at Xander, his troops now charging down hill towards the coalition.

"I don't care if they bleed or just vanish, I will kill everything for my Lord Xander!" Peri said in a shipper tone as she struck down translucent soldiers left and right without any resistance. Xander stayed at her side, cutting down the right of the path as she charged the left. Although the two of them were able to clear a path, the path quickly filled with more translucent soldiers for teh rest of the army to deal with.

"Owain...Severa...I won't let you down!" Laslow cried, clashing swords with a translucent soldier. He shifted his blade to the right, forcing the soldiers blade to slide off of the clash while he reached into his belt to grab a dagger. He began stabbing into the soldier over and over as he used his free sword to guard another swing. He shoved the soldier off, slashing into its throat to cause it to disappate in an instant, quickly seeking out the next foe in his path. horses were able to clear past Laslow's offensive line, allowing them to trample through the road to make the path more clear.

"MOVE QUICKLY!" Jacob shouted, using his magic to keep the enemy in place from horseback. It was if their feet were planted in cement as the allied forces charged through, cutting them down at their leisure. Iago shrugged, shaking his head as he began to conjur more soldiers from thin air.

"Kill as much as you like, my soldiers will never be stopped!" Iago cackled, vanishing into thin air as mages and archers took aim. A mass amount of translucent soldiers began to swarm Laslow's flanks, leaving his soldiers cut off from the rest of the pack. Only horseman and wyverns could swing past the massive roadblock of soldiers, challenging the infantry troops to an endurance match.

"It seems that fate is truly testing me isn't it...?" Laslow groaned, rallying the mass of his infantry squadran into a tight formation. Circling his 50 or so men, Laslow could see enemy infantry as far as his sight could see. Regardless of the grim scenario, Laslow continued his orders like a true commander would.

"Armor knights, tighten up to push back their formations! Mages and archers, use the push back from the knights to attack at safe proximity! The rest of us will stay packed in the middle of the formation. We will fill any gaps that will befall us and will stand strong til the very end. LET'S FIGHT AGAINST OUR FATE!" Laslow yelled at the top of his lungs, all of his units immediately falling into formation with a battle cry to shake the air.

"Oboro we're getting in too deep!" Hana cried out, trying to keep up with her as she cut another three soldiers down at their guts. Oboro swirled her naginata over her head, making cries of aggression with every violent swing. Body after body hit the ground with her vicious swings, striking fear into those who opposed her. As she watched Oboro's amazing strength, she noticed a splot of crimson secretion slowly consuming parts of her uniform as she put everything she had into every strike. Oboro's sight began to grow hazy as she continued to swing, nearly losing her balance with a harsh swirl.

"Damn it...my wounds just opened up..." Oboro coughed, stumbling back. She stabbed her naginata into the ground to steady herself, leaving Hana to take charge of the oncoming forces.

"Why didn't you tell me you were injured Oboro?! I wouldn't have let us move in so deep!" Hana growled, clashing aside an enemies axe before cutting them down. In a constant wave of one on one encounters, Hana managed to skillfully deal with each threaten, slowly leaving a pile of bodies around them. Hana began to heave soundly, her energy from before depleting by the second from having to fight off so much. Two soldiers took a violently swing at Hana, forcing her guard to break and to shove her off her feet. She lost grip of her katana as she fell, the enemy knocking it off to the side like a baseball as she fell at Oboro's feet. Oboro cried out in pain as she rose up, stepping over Hana to get into a defensive position.

"Get out of here Hana...I'll take it from here..." Oboro groaned, readying for the next wave.

"No! You're coming with me!" Hana cried, grasping at Oboro's arm. Oboro shoved her back, crying out as she returned her attention to her front. Hana knew that interfereing at this point would only put Oboro at risk; instead she moved off to the side, desperately trying to find her trusty katana so that she could keep Oboro upright. Her eyes perked up as her eyes caught sight of it, but were quickly into horror as a foot stomped on the blade. All her eyes could see was the blinding light of a spell of fire being cast before her, immediately bursting against her with a lodu crash. Hana screamed in pain as she was thrown back, hitting the dirt with a loud thud.

"HANA!" Oboro screamed, tearing her vocal chords with a vicious war cry as she turned her naginata in her hand. Like a God smiting a foe, she threw her naginata with all of her strength, planting itself deeply into the mage's chest. It let out a deathly howl as Oboro turned to Hana, who was now twitching and whining with pain. Oboro immediately charged and grabbed her naginata's hold, tearing it from the mage's corpse before tossing it again at the approaching forces. She then dove to Hana's side, grasping her shoulders to try and shake her to her senses.

"HANA! HANA!" Oboro continued to scream as tears began to slide down her cheeks. Hana twitched in waves of pain, coughing up a spats of blood onto Oboro's arms.

"YOU HAVE TO FIGHT HANA! DON'T GIVE UP!" Oboro shouted, her tears of fear turning to tears of rage as she rose to her feet. The enemy began to slowly creep up on the two of them, leaving both of them unarmed to fight against the mob. Oboro was about to run towards them with her arms in battling stance when suddenly two beasts came tearing through being immediately chased by Mozu, passing past her and Hana to assault the enemy.

One of them was new to them while the other was clearly the hope that they needed. Keaton took the initiative, mauling three soldiers at once while Corrin lashed his tail, slashing down another four. As Keaton went to wall the encroaching forces, Corrin shifted back into his normal form, leaving Keaton and Mozu to hold them off as he quickly turned to approach them as the loud cry of a pegasus rang overhead.

"Oboro, Hana! Are you two alright?!" Corrin cried out, running to their aid as Keaton and Mozu cried out with anger. Oboro's eyes lit up with hope as she tried to scoop up Hana, falling to one knee instead from her loss of blood. Corrin immediately noticed Oboro's blood soaked clothes and Hana's charred attire as he waved his hand for Subaki to land.

"C-Corrin...Hana needs the help more than me...tend to her...first..." Oboro said, finally losing her balance. Corrin immediately caught her, noticing that she had finally lost conciousness from the exaustion and blood loss. Sakura quickly hopped down off of Subaki's mount immediately tending to the fallen maidens that gave their all. From there Mozu, Corrin and Keaton continued on, trying to sweep out as many soldiers as they could from the sacred peak.

"It's OK Hana, I'm here to for you now," Sakura said, a warm smile coming into Hana's view. As her magic began to work, she was able to open her eyes, seeing her two dearest friends standing over her.

"I'm sorry Lady Sakura...I didn't really make a difference did I?" Hana sighed, looking around to see amny of their allies corpses. Sakura simply shook her head, rest her hand on Hana's forehead to try and calm her.

"If it weren't for you there would be many more dead here. You did a wonderful job. Now, rest your eyes," Sakura said, causing a smile to form on Hana's lips before returning to her state of rest.

"Damn it...what a way to go..." Laslow growled, most of his remaining forces barely able to stand. It wasn't from lack of effort that they struggled to stay alive, it was sheer number of enemies that weathered them down like water exploding from a dam. Gargles and cries of death surrounded Laslow as he witnessed the demise of his company. Clenching his teeth tightly and embracing his sword in a death grasp, Laslow was now forced to take on an army of at least 50 men on his own.

The whole group began to swarm Laslow, rushing him like vultures onto deathly prey. Suddenly, explosions surrounded Laslow, sending countless numbers of soldiers flying in off direction. Looking overhead, Laslow's hopes grew as he saw Camilla blasting away with her fire tome in hand. Once there was enough leway to move, Camilla swooped down, holding her hand out for Laslow to grab as the enemy regathered itself. Immediately catching it as she swung by, Camilla used the inertia and her brutish strength to swing Laslow up, plopping him in her lap as she flew off.

"Gods...that was far too close for my liking..." Laslow sighed, leaning back into Camilla. Camilla smiled, holding him to her with one arm so that she could speed on back to the main camp area.

"Hang on tight handsome, we're almost out of the woods," Camilla said, swerving around arrows that started to rain up in her direction. Laslow lowered his head, removing himself from Camilla's view as she yanked the reigns with her free arm, whipping her Wyvern into the clearing.

"I must live on...no matter what," Laslow sighed softly, shaking up as Camilla made an abrupt landing. Camilla gently carressed his check, giving it a soft pat before letting him off, immediately taking back to the sky. Looking around, he managed to catch sight of a massive group of Nohrian loyals and wolfskin alike, all laid out on the ground while a priestess could be seen healing them.

"God's...what happened here...?" Laslow asked upon approach. Sakura sighed in relief as the soldier she was healing came back to life with a cough. Sakura's sights turned to Laslow, a sorrowful grimace forming on her lips before grabbing some of her tape and wrapping up his crucial wound.

"These are the soldiers that survived defending this very point. It's not a very pretty sight I know...but I have to do all I can to help them," Sakura said, returning her attention to another soldier.

"Please, fair maiden, tell me how I may assist you. I'm sure there's several that you haven't been able to tend to," Laslow said as he approached. Sakura simply smiled, her eyes filling with a soft light as she stood with a medical bag in hand.

"Any soldier that doesn't already have bandages need to be tended to. It would be a major help if you could try and tend to their wounds til I can properly heal them. Here, use what's in this bag. Make sure to use ointments before applying bandages OK?" Sakura said as Laslow took the bag carefully.

"I shant let you down m'lady," Laslow said with a smirk, leaving Sakura a little flush before leaving to tend to the poor wounded soldiers.

"As fun as it is stabby stabbing theses people, I'm starting to get a bit woozy doozy..." Peri sighed, her arms almost numb from swinging and thrustinging with her lance. She, Xander and their 12 cavalrymen had finally pushed through the bounds and walls of the phantom army but have now come face to face with yet another onslaught of soldiers in their path.

"Keep heart everyone! We're almost through this hellish endeavor!" Xander rallied, cutting down two more soldiers like a hot knife through butter. His troops made a rallying call, returning into a charge throught he enemy forces. Xander suddenly yanked on his reigns, raising a fist for everyone to halt.

"Something's not right here...the other soldiers are backing off from us..." Xander said, observing the fact that it was if they were all alone. There horses began to howl and shot as a ring of magic conjuring surrounded them in all directions. It slowly turned into a ring of fire in all directions, all of them awaiting a single order to let loose their hell.

"EVERYONE SEPERATE!" Xander shouted, all of the cavalry immediately rushed out in all directions as if running from death itself. Only a few were able to trample their foes before a massive gambit of hellish fire tortched the proximity in which they stood. Cries and shouts from the men and their horses were engulfed in mighty flames that began to send the forest up in smoke. An angry scream rang from Peri as she watched her allies and friends burn, immediately taking to the outside of the ring. She tossed aside her lance, withdrawing her jagged sword from her saddle's sheath to make the enemy suffer.

"YOU'RE ALL DEAD!" Peri yelled, her eyes burning with rage as she began to hack and slash the ring of mages to pieces. They made no ghastly screams nor cries, it was if they just simply vanished as they were each taken down. Xander immediately turned to see a line of archers move just outside of Peri's charge around, now all of them taking aim at the murderous doll.

"PERI! IT'S A TRAP! GET OUT OF THERE!" Xander shouted, now charging the ring of archers. Peri's rage deffened her ears as she yelled angrily with every slash. All of the cavalrymen that they had brought into battle acted as her brothers and very close comrades in arms. The loud slicing sounds of Seigfried cut down and beheaded each archer in his path, however he was not quick enough to stop them all. As Peri cut down the final mage, the sound of arrows piercing the wind caught Peri's ears. She went to evade, but it was too late. Xander watched with eyes filled with terror as Peri and her horse were turned into pin cushions, arrows digging their way into them viciously and without hesitation. Her violent screams pierced the air before dropping to the ground like a rag doll.

"PERI!" Xander made a war cry, increasing his pace to quickly murder everything in his path. By the time that all of the archers were finally expunged, only Peri was the remaining entity with any movement. Xander quickly slid off of his steed, immediately dropping to his knees to the poor arrow riddled Peri that could be seen reaching out for him.

"L-Lord Xaaaander...I'm sorry...your Peri really messed up..." Peri coughed, trying to turn to face him but the arrows within her kept her in place. Xander tried his best to keep a level head, trying to see if there was anything in the facinity to help his poor retainer survive. He growled and removed a dagger from his belt, cutting Peri's armor from her frame before laying her back down gently. Placing his dagger onto the ground, he then slowly tilted her body into a comfortable position.

"This is going to really hurt; bite onto my hand and please try to fight through the pain," Xander said, removing his gauntlet. When he went to turn Peri's gaze to his, he was mortified to see that an arrow had lodged itself into one of her eyes. Tears of blood were rolling down her face beneath her long, obstructing bangs as she tried to smile and open her mouth the best she could.

"Please...make it through this..." Xander growled. He placed his hand between her teeth as he grasped onto the first arrow. With a sudden yank of his strength Peri shrieked in agony as the arrow was removed. Dropping he, he then grabbed Seigfried, which began to glow with a brilliant light. Xander then placed the flat end of its body against her wound, searing smell of flesh being melded filling his nostrils. Peri's teeth chewed viciously into Xander's hand as she screamed in pain, her body now twitching sparadically from the pain.

"Stay with me Peri, stay with me, we still have 4 more we have to remove," Xander calmly said, Peri giving him a weak nod in response. Slowly grasping around the next arrow, he then gave it a vicious pull, another scream ringing against his hand as her teeth punctured his skin viciously. He grit his own teeth as he bared the pain, yanking another arrow out that was huddled up against the first. Again grasping Seigfried, Xander pressed it against her wounds like a hot iron. Her screams began to grow weak, her teeth still clenching onto Xander's hand for dear life to show she was still there.

"Two more, just two more Peri," Xander growled between his teeth, blood beginning blanket his hand in which Peri bit upon. He slowly tilted her in his lap before grasping and tearing the arrow from her side. Screams turned into gasps and chokes, her breathing growing sparadic as Seigfried seared the wound shut. Xander wiped the heavy sweat off his brow, shaking his head as Peri's teeth began to slowly lose their bite.

"ONE MORE, JUST ONE MORE! STAY WITH ME!" Xander gasped and cried from behind his teeth, ripping the final arrow from her stomach. Her teeth regained a grasp on his hand as she began to choke from the pain. He placed Seigfried upon her stomach, sealing her final wound as she began to grow ill and blind. Peri unlatched her fangs from his now bloodied and bruised hand, turning her head to cough up the excess blood that had been building in her throat. Xander raised up on his knees, removing his cape from his armor to wrap around the pale, shivering Peri that clung on to life with all that she had. He shook his head to avert tears as he gently slid his fingers along the crossbow bolt that had pierced her eye.

"D-Do it Lord Xander...j-just do it..." Peri whimpered, shivering and shuddering as she grasped onto Xander's thick cape for warmth.

"I'm sorry for this..." Xander said. Pinching the smaller shaft into his hand, he slowly began to twist it, Peri now sinking her teeth into her own arm that she shifted between her teeth. With a final pluck, Xander was able to remove the bolt, tossing it to the side. Peri's eye filled with tears as she watched the man of her dreams tending to her. Never had anyone shown this form of love or dedication before, which gave Peri that much more determination to try and hold on. As Xander resheated Seigfried, she removed her bleeding arm from her mouth, her hands now shaking and trembling vigorously as she raised them to Xander's face.

"I-I...don't want...to die...I want to...stay by your...side...L-Lord X-Xander..." Peri cried and gasped, trying her best to form some kind of smile. Xander pulled her into his arms holding her tightly to keep her warm. He slowly lifted her up off of the ground, helping her to move her arms around his neck so he could hoist them both onto his mount.

"We're almost through this Peri, you just have to hang tight around my waist alright?" Xander said with a heavy sigh, helping her arms get a firm grasp around his waist. Like a bolt of lighting striking the earth, Xander snapped his horses reigns and took off at full speed. Xander saw more enemy troops loom into his path, to which he simply plowed through knowing that there was no time to waste and fight.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU MONSTERS!" Xander yelled at the enemies in his path, his mount bashing and trampling through them with all of its might. As Xander saw entrance to the clearing he noticed Peri's grasp weakening from his waist and her body beginning to fall from the mount. He quickly lowered his arm down, pinning her arms to him to keep her on as he burst through the last of the enemy forces. His other mounted forces were awaiting in the clearing, all of them perking up and jumping to their feet as their commander charged through. He brought his horse to screeching halt as he arrived at Sakura's little corner of the clearing, putting the final touches on another one of the few survivors.

"Lady Sakura, please you have to help me! My retainer Peri is dying!" Xander cried, craddling her up into his arms before lowering her back down to the ground. Sakura immediately went to her side, placing her hand on her forehead and her hand upon her chest.

"She's very cold, and I can't feel her heart beat too well either, please hold on!" Sakura called to Peri as she grabbed her festive to begin her healing. Xander grasped onto Peri's weak, feeble hand, to which tried to grasp back his back as the glowing light covered her.

"Alright I think that's the last of them, do you smell anymore Keaton?" Corrin asked, breathing heavily from the brutish display of power he was force to exert. Keaton took a moment to sniff the air, his eyes darting around quickly and his ears taking in every sound. His ears suddenly began to twitch, his attention turning back towards their small camp.

"I hear a lot of shouting and crying coming from the camp clearing, we should head back now," Keaton said, both of them now running like the wind back towards the small encampment. Covered in blood, Keaton and Corrin burst into the clearing, all of the members of the camp cheering for their safe arrival. He noticed that everyone was huddled around a small section of the camp, the sounds of a man's tears beginning to grow more and more audible by the moment. Recognizing the voice, Corrin quickly went into a sprint, immediately pushing through the crowd that shielded the world from the travesty. Corrin's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his brother Xander shed tears, his teeth clenching tightly to fight back his cries as he held Peri to him.

"What the happened, what happened?!" Corrin shouted, Mozu moving to his front. She shifted her eyes to the side, a few tears forming in her eyes before turning them up to Corrin's.

"Peri...she...has passed away..." Mozu said grasping onto Corrin. Corrin couldn't help but to stare at the impossible sight of his older brother desperately fighting back at tears, with Leo's passing, the wall around his heart had grown many cracks, with Peri's death being final barrage to tear them down. Xander's eyes shifted to Corrin's as he began to steady his emotions, their gaze now glaring in discontent. Although the task was complete, and victory was theirs, there was no winning anything when it comes to losing the ones you love.

"I can't blame this on the war...this...was my fault this time..." Corrin said, clenching his hands into fists. All he could do now is watch on, letting the terror sink in as a reminder of what he was truly fighting for.

To Be Continued...


End file.
